Taking off from its climatic range - Himalayan to tropical - India has much to offer in terms of fruit diversity. Large varieties of major fruits are native to the land, but countless other types are also grown throughout India. The bad news is many, many varieties of fruits have already vanished and some are on their way to extinction. Indeed, it is the commercially viable ones that survive well. Deforestation and habitat destruction are also causing genetic erosion of fruits. Though fruits can change the economic lives of a large number of our people, government efforts at preservation are way below par.