Malda (West Bengal): As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mohotsav commemorating India's 75 years of independence, two districts — Malda and Murshidabad — are set to make a mark for themselves. An initiative has been taken up to expedite the export of about 75 varieties of mangoes produced in these two districts, sources said.
For this, the Central Government's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) has joined hands with the West Bengal government's horticulture and food processing department. Malda and Murshidabad are major producers of mangoes in West Bengal. However, some mangoes are also produced in southern districts including Nadia.
Last year 34 varieties of mangoes from Malda-Murshidabad were exported to European countries including the Middle East through Apeda. The people of those countries enjoyed the taste and smell of these mangoes. With this encouragement, the central agency has decided to export more varieties of mango this time.
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Several varieties of mangoes already produced in the Malda district have been already selected for export. Among them are Fazli, Himsagar and Lakshmanabhog which have already got GI tags. The list also includes other mango varieties like Gopalbhog, Rakhalbhog, Kishanbhog, Amritbhog, Dilkush, Langra, Altapeti, Brindabni, Ashwina, Amrapali, Mallika, Brindabni Ashwina, Totapuri, Madhuchushki, Mohan Thakur, Ranipsand, Golia, Dalbhanga, Mohanbhog.
Deputy Director of the District Horticulture Department, Samant Laik, said, “As the weather has been favourable so far, there is potential for good production of mangoes in Malda district this season. Keeping that in mind, we are trying to make Malda's mangoes more popular in foreign markets as a joint initiative of the West Bengal government, district administration and Apeda."
He said that Malda's economy will receive a boost with enhanced mango exports. He said that they have selected some high-yielding varieties for export and efforts are underway to export 75 varieties of mangoes from Malda-Murshidabad and other districts of the state on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence. Last year, the mangoes of these two districts were sent to Qatar, Belgium and several countries, he said.
Ujjal Saha, president of Malda Mango Association, said, "Apeda has already held a meeting with the farmers to export mangoes. There are some special processes of mango production. The Department of Horticulture and Food Processing of the State Government has also taken initiatives in mango export. We thank the state government and Apeda for this. If the state's mangoes are exported, the economy of the entire state will grow."
