Due to its unique agro-climatic condition, the NE region is regarded as one of the top three bio-diversity hotspots in the world. The region supports numerous varieties of Fruits & vegetable, many of these are not seen in other parts of the country. The region occupies a unique position in the world map of citrus occurrence & diversity. It holds 17 species, out of these 8 are indigenous to this region only. It is unfortunate that despite being a natural home & possessing wide diversity, none of these states, citrus production & productivity figures could so far make any significant impact on the national average.
The main fruit & vegetable & spices produces in the region are as follows:
FRUITS: Citrus Orange(Khasi mandarin), Pineapple, Lime/Lemon, Jackfruit, Apple, Banana, Cashewnut, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Mango, Papaya, Passion fruit, Walnut, Strawberry etc.
SPICES: Ginger ( all three varieties e.g. Non-fibrous, semi-fibrous & fibrous), Turmeric ( with high curcumin content), Black pepper, Chilli, Large cardamom, King Chilli, Bay leaves, Pipli (piper longum), Star Anise, Coriander, Cumin etc.
VEGETABLES: Cabbage, Potato, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Okra, Peas, Tomato, Radish, Bitter gourd, Carrot, Cucumber, Bean, etc.
Besides the above, there are some specific varieties of F&V being produced in some states, like Grape, Strawberry, Colocasia, Chowchow, Tapioca, leafy vegetables in Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, though production is limited at the moment due to lack of post harvest facilities, processing as well as forward linkage.