Bankura's first mango consignment of 2018 out for Dubai

Kolkata: The first mango consignment for this year from Bankura district set out for Dubai on Friday. Six tonnes of Amrapali variety, that has grown in abundance in the district, was exported with international standard packaging by a private export company.

It may be mentioned that the state government had bagged the consignment for export during the recently concluded three-day Bengal Mango Utsav held at New Town Mela Grounds. A team from Dubai had visited Bengal during the fair and had expressed their interest in Amrapali -which is a late variety. They tasted the mango and after being convinced about its quality, the export deal was finalised.

"The export company has told us to keep more Amrapali mangoes ready for export. They will give us a feedback in five days and we are optimistic of more exports," said Subhasis Batabyal, vice-chairman of West Bengal Agro Industries Corporation (WBAIC).

It may be mentioned that Himsagar, Langra and Lakshmanbhog variety of Malda have been in the state export radar for quite some time. The state Food Processing and Horticulture department has left no stones unturned to give a major push to export of the Amrapali and Mallika varieties from Bankura.

Last year, around 100 tonnes of mango was exported to Middle East countries, Malaysia and Singapore from Bankura. The state's mangoes have been receiving overwhelming response at the Mango Festival at Janpath in Delhi, that had started from June 17 and will continue till June 30.

"On an average, 20 quintals of mangoes are being sold daily. People from Punjab have shown immense interest in Amrapali and Mallika varieties and there have been cases when a person has purchased 15 kg of mangoes at a time," a senior official of the state Horticulture department said, adding that 17 tonnes of mango from Bankura has been taken in the Delhi festival.

It may be mentioned that Bengal is known for its wide variety of fruits and vegetables, produces around 400 varieties of mango and is one of the leading states in the production of table variety mangoes in the country, amounting to seven lakh metric tonnes.

This year, under the jurisdictional area of the state government, mangoes have grown on 4,000 hectares of land in Bankura, with 10 tonnes on an average in each hectare.