'Less mango export likely this year from Uttar Pradesh'

An Indian hawker arranges mangoes at a roadside shop in the southern Indian city of Chennai May 31, 2006. REUTERS/Babu - RTR1DYAQ

Mango growers of Uttar Pradesh have suffered losses this year due to poor production owing to adverse weather conditions.

"This year mango production will be between 10 lakh tonnes to 15 lakh tonnes only. There is 70 per cent drop in mango production as compared to previous year. The exports from UP are also negligible as due to low production, mango growers are not able to export it", President All India Mango Growers Association (AIMGA) Insram Ali told PTI.

"Some mango growers are exporting, but the total export will be very less", he said.

"Last year there was bumper production of about 44 lakh tonnes mangoes. But this year production has gone down by one-third," Ali said.

Last year, due to bumper produce, the juicy mangoes were in the reach of common man and the rates hovered between just Rs 20-40 a kg but this year it is over Rs 50 per kg.

The mango belts in Uttar Pradesh, which include Lucknow (Lucknow, Malihabad, Bakshi-ka-Talaab), Saharanpur and Sambhal-Amroha-Muzaffarnagar districts had registered poor flowering this season due to which mango lovers abroad had to be disappointed, he said.

In Uttar Pradesh, mango is produced in 2.5 lakh hectare. Popular varieties like chausa, dashehari, fazli, gulab khas, langra, mallika and amrapali are produced in the state.

Renowned mango grower Haji Kalimullaha Khan, a Padamshri awardee and known for developing a rare technique for growing more than 300 varieties of mangoes of different shapes, sizes and hues on one tree, said there was a decline in mango production this year.

The Lucknow belt, which produces world famous Dussehri mangoes besides langda and chausa, alone comprises 30-40 per cent of the state's annual mango production.

During 2010, the total arrival of mango in the market from Lucknow region was roughly 87,000 tonnes. The corresponding figures for 2008 and 2009 stood at 52,000 tonnes and 34,000 tonnes, respectively, official sources said.

Delhi is the biggest market for Uttar Pradesh mangoes, followed by Punjab.

About the state government's 3-day mango festival which ended yesterday, Ali said, "The event was just a show off and hardly benefited mango growers".

A three-day mango festival was organised by the UP tourism department to promote mango growers and mango product manufacturers.

The mouth-watering biryani synonymous with the City of Nawabs acquired a fruity flavour with a dash of mango during the festival.

Aam biryani, murg-aam and aam-murg korma were among the many other dishes prepared from mango, the king of fruits.

A number of other dishes prepared from mango like aam malai tikka, aam shahi paneer and aam kaleji were also displayed on the table at the event.