Vegetables make up about 35% of per capita food consumption in China, a much higher share than the world average . Besides India, other southern Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, North and South Vietnam, Laos and Philippines are also high producers and great consumer of vegetables. For example, vegetables comprise 40% of the Bangladeshi diet . Many vegetables are consumed near where they are produced, especially in China, India and other Asian countries. The per capita consumption of vegetables in Asia has increased considerably from 41 kg to 141 kg between 1975 and 2003 , particularly in China where the per capita consumption has increased from 43 kg to 154 kg . In Africa,grow table hydroponic the per capita consumption of vegetables lags far behind the world average, with less than the FAO/WFO recommended minimum uptake of 200 g of vegetables/day .
Rapid growth in mean per capita incomes in developed countries during the 1990s enabled consumers to purchase a broader range of relatively expensive vegetable commodities such as off-season produce, relatively new or renewed vegetables and organic produce. Higher incomes of consumers in developed countries have also raised the demand for other attributes such as better quality vegetables and more variation in the daily menu. In developing countries, consumption and domestic vegetable markets are also expanding because of an emerging educated middle class with increasing incomes. China, India and Indonesia, countries with the largest populations, have large emerging middle classes, which impact the demand for high-value vegetables .
Al-though the overall downturn in the globally economy over the past decade has seen a decrease in the discretionary income of consumers in many countries. As a con-sequence the consumption of many high priced items such as fresh vegetables has been static or declining. This has also impacted on the rate of growth in exports from some countries. Globally, an increasing proportion of the world’s population is living in urban environments where their inter-est in and knowledge of farming, and therefore of food production, grow table is becoming increasingly deficient. In 1950 approximately 71% of the world’s population lived in rural locations while in 2010 this had declined to 50% , and is projected to be as low as 30% globally by 2050 . There is, in all developed countries, a growing expectation and dependence on the supply of a low-cost, year-round supply of premium quality vegetables.
Paradoxically, these same urban-based consumers have become increasing vocal about issues such as carbon taxes, the use of pesticides and safety of vegetables, labour conditions for farm workers, the sustainability of production methods, and the environmental conditions under which it is produced. These are often driven as “matters of conscience” and are in isolation from the reality of current production methods or of the opportunity to realistically meet these consumer demands. This trend, in turn, has led to the in- creased importance of organic vegetables and labeled brands . Most of the total organic arable land for vegetables is located in Europe , fol-lowed by North America and Latin America , but represents only 0.04% of the total area of vegetables in the world . Organic vegetable trade from developing to developed countries is currently growing at over 20% per year but represents only 3% of total vegetable production .
Populations in developed countries are also shifting dramatically towards greater proportions of older people as a consequence of the “baby boom” of the 1940s and 1960s, and as a result of the lower birth rates in last re-cent decades. For example, in Japan and Europe , within twenty years many countries will face a situation where the largest population cohort will be those over 65 and average age will be approaching 50. These shifts are impacting strongly on consumer consumption patterns as evidenced by smaller households, increased dining out, and increased demands for healthier vegetabes and foods. Desire for year-round availability, increased diversity, and growing health awareness, have also been important reasons for increased consumption of vegetables in developed countries. For example, the dietary benefit of fresh produce, is the major reason for the 25% increase in fresh vegetable consumption in the United States during the 1977-1999 period . On the other hand, factors such as increased participation by women in the labor market have created demand for processed, ready-to-eat convenience vegetable products.Vegetables are purchased partly based on eye appeal, which means that the development of desire to consume, increases market demand. Diversification also tends to increase consumption.