Does the Current Distribution of Fruit Commodities in North Sumatra Help to Enhance the Regional Economic Development?

Fruit commodity is one of the most imported agricultural commodities. However, the government did not pay enough attention to agricultural policies for this commodity. Farmers also prefer to plant food and plantation commodities. Meanwhile, increasing consumption of fruits creates opportunities for farmers and the government to meet domestic demand. It increases due to the consumption factor of the population. Fruit consumption is currently showing an increasing trend because public awareness to consume fruits continues to increase. To meet domestic demand, the fruit market is filled with imported fruits. We need an appropriate development plan for fruit commodities which has an impact on regional economic development. This study aims (1) to analyze potential fruit commodities in North Sumatra, (2) to analyze specialization and localization of fruit commodities, and (3) to analyze priority fruit commodities in North Sumatra. The research methodology used in this paper is quantitative descriptive using secondary data from 2017-2018. The results of the study show that (1) each district in North Sumatra has a very varied fruit commodity base, (2) there are no districts in North Sumatra that specialized in producing certain fruit commodities, (3) the priority fruit commodities are still monotonous. Planning of fruit commodities development has not been specialized so that the objectives of regional economic development based on horticultural commodities are difficult to achieve.