Though many Indian fruits have competitive advantages in world trade, high post-harvest losses, high lending rates, poor infrastructure and high freight fares are stifling the growth of an organised horticulture industry and fruit exports in India, an Indian expert points out.

The country has the potential to be a major player in global trade and "it is time to seize the emerging opportunities for rapid growth," Manmohan Attavar, head of the Bangalore-based Indo-American hybrid seed company said in his inaugural address at a national symposium on production of fruits, here on Tuesday.

The two-day symposium is being organised by the horticulture division of the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI).

There is a gap between the potential and actual yields, hesaid.

Indian horticulture experts have to contend with high interest rates of 16-17 per cent, while their counterparts abroad, including in Asian countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, have interest rates as low as 4-6 per cent.

High freight and transportation charges, poor infrastructure, low- quality storage, refrigeration and grading facilities are other major barriers.