Mango cultivation gains momentum in Paschimanchal areas

Kolkata: Shantiram Mahato, state minister for Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs department, inaugurated the two-day Mango Mela in Purulia on Sunday.

It may be mentioned that mango cultivation in Paschimanchal areas like Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, West Midnapore, Birbhum and East and West Burdwan districts is gaining popularity for producing Amrapali, Mallika, Himsagar and Alphonso varieties.

Theses varieties of mango are the most suitable for this region and the quality of these varieties is far better than the conventional mango growing regions of west Bengal like Malda and Murshidabad.

These mango orchards have been popularised through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), by the Horticulture & Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs department.

More than 20 lakh mango saplings have been planted in this region, including Alphonso from Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapith, an agriculture university situated in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, known as the Alphonso hub in the country.

Scientists of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, compared the quality of the mangoes grown in this region with the same varieties grown elsewhere and it was found that the quality of these mangoes in this region is better, along with the shelf life of the fruits.

The district administration has been organising the Mango Mela since 2014, to popularise mangoes of the region and provide a forum for export of these mangoes.

SHG members attached with the orchards are getting the facility of selling their produce directly to the buyers.

Mango export from this region is being done by the government to ensure more remuneration and profits to the farmers. 3 metric tonnes of Amrapali from Bankura has been exported this year to Dubai. Export to England and Australia is also

being tried.

Mahato said: "This area was not known for mangoes, but now, the best mangoes are being produced in this region. The government is trying to set up more plantations with genuine quality mangoes and export them to ensure more profit for our farmers. If it is regularised, the economy of the area will be changed through mango cultivation."