Teacher cultivates foreign mangoes in Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar: Rupam Pal, a resident of Tufanganj in Cooch Behar district, has achieved success in cultivating foreign mangoes experimentally. A school teacher by profession, Pal has garnered attention by cultivating both local and foreign mango varieties on his land.

Since childhood, Pal has been passionate about cultivating various fruits. His garden boasts a diverse range of fruits, including dragon fruit, yellow watermelon, black sugarcane, rambutan, strawberry, apple, red banana and orange. However, his latest endeavour involves planting around 70 varieties of local and foreign mangoes. About three years ago, Pal planted 160 saplings in one bigha of land, with 80 per cent being foreign and 20 per cent native mango seedlings. This year, 70 per cent of the trees have yielded mangoes weighing between 200-250 grams each. Among the mango varieties cultivated by Pal are Malgova, Kesar, Miyazaki, Banana, Quizai, Chakapat, Austin, Blackstone, Purple, Dokmai, Carabao, Hongchuang, Alphonso, Pusha Arunima and Pusha Surya, each possessing a distinct taste.

Reflecting on his success, Pal mentioned: “The soil and climate in North Bengal, particularly in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts, are unfavorable for mango cultivation. Therefore, I experimented with cultivating foreign mango seedlings, observing their superior yield and resistance to diseases and insects.”

Pal emphasised the benefits of cultivating foreign mango varieties to other farmers, despite the higher cost of seedlings from countries like Thailand, which range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, compared to Rs 250-300 for native seedlings.