Kolkata: West Bengal's Malda district has exported 10 tonnes of premium variety mangoes to international markets in the last one week, with the shipment expected to cross the 100-tonne mark this season, officials said on Wednesday.
ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH)-Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) head Dushyant Raghav said around seven tonnes of mango have already been shipped to the West Asian countries and 3 tonnes to Milan in Italy.
"So far, 'Amrapali' mangoes have been exported. We expect another 100 tonnes of shipment over the next month, including 'Vrindawani', 'Fazli' and 'Aswina' varieties. Several countries are expected to procure premium Malda mangoes in the coming days," Raghav told PTI.
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He said Malda's good agricultural practices-based mango cluster comprises around 200 farmers and covers nearly 500 hectares, while CISH-KVK monitors orchards from the flowering stage, harvesting, grading to final packaging to ensure compliance with international quality standards.
Raghav said growers have been receiving better prices in the domestic market after demand from overseas has increased.
The exports were made possible through the adoption of scientific orchard management practices under the GAP programme, including timely fruit bagging, integrated pest and disease management, balanced nutrient application, orchard sanitation, and proper pre- and post-harvest handling, another official said.
Mango exporter Prasun Chitlangia said he exported the fruit from two of his orchards as part of the consignments, which commenced towards the end of June.
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Echoing Raghav, Horticulture Deputy Director Samanta Layek said around 10 tonnes of mangoes have already been exported from the GAP orchards, with substantially higher quantities lined up for the next month.
The exports included consignments of Amrapali, Lakhanbhog and other export-quality mangoes.
The export initiative was jointly facilitated by ICAR-CISH KVK, Malda, the district administration, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, the district horticulture office and the Malda Mango Merchant Chamber of Commerce, which coordinated quality production, certification, logistics and market linkages, the officials said.
The initiative has strengthened the export potential of Malda mangoes, expanded market access for growers and helped improve growers' income through international sales, they said.
Popular Malda varieties such as 'Himsagar' and 'Langra' could not be exported this season as they failed to meet the desired export quality standards due to weather-related vagaries, another official said.
