In which year, area under fruits has recorded the highest rate of increase ?

Concept: the rate of increase over a year is percentage growth measured against the previous year’s value, not the plain difference. If a quantity moves from P in one year to Q in the next, rate of increase = (Q − P) ÷ P × 100. The earlier value sits in the denominator, so the same absolute rise counts for more when it starts from a smaller base.

Application: the fruits column of the table reads 53, 56, 58, 61 and 63 lakh hectares for 2005-06 through 2009-10, so each listed year is compared with the year immediately above it.

1. 2006-07: the area moves 53 → 56, so the rise is 3 and the rate is 3 ÷ 53 × 100 ≈ 5.66%.

2. 2007-08: the area moves 56 → 58, so the rise is 2 and the rate is 2 ÷ 56 × 100 ≈ 3.57%.

3. 2008-09: the area moves 58 → 61, so the rise is 3 and the rate is 3 ÷ 58 × 100 ≈ 5.17%.

4. 2009-10: the area moves 61 → 63, so the rise is 2 and the rate is 2 ÷ 61 × 100 ≈ 3.28%.

Cross-check: 2006-07 and 2008-09 both add exactly 3 lakh hectares, so the absolute rise alone cannot separate them — the bases do. The same 3 divided by the smaller base 53 exceeds 3 divided by 58, so 2006-07 outgrows 2008-09. The remaining two years add only 2 lakh hectares each on still larger bases, so they fall further behind. Ranking all four rates gives 5.66% > 5.17% > 3.57% > 3.28%.

Hence the area under fruits records its highest rate of increase in 2006-07, at roughly 5.66%.