Mango growers in Malihabad hope for a bumper crop

Malihabad (UP), Mar 15 : Mango blooms have come as a delight to growers of the fruit in Malihabad in Uttar Pradesh and they are hopeful of a bumper crop this year.

According to the farmers, the early budding of mango flowers this year indicates that there will be good crop of mangoes as compared to last year.ith the retreat of winter and a perfect start to summer, mango growers believe the weather conditions are ideal for the crop. They say that the flowering has been unprecedented.

"This time, the weather is very good and we expect to have a bumper crop as compared to last year due to ideal weather conditions. We also don't expect any loss this time," said Kaif, a farmer.

Mango sellers who have started taking care of the mango trees from the month of ecember last year are upbeat that it will bring good business.armers have started spraying pesticides on the trees to ensure protection of the crop.

They expect that not just the mangoes but mango kernel will also fetch the sellers good business in the national and international market.

"If the climate is ideal, then it will lead to bumper production and with a matching demand, we will have an opportunity to earn more. Infact, mango kernel will be sold along with the mangoes that will benefit us," said Satish Yadav, a mango grower.

Malihabad is the mango belt in Uttar Pradesh where 90 per cent people are engaged in the profession of growing mangoes.

Mangoes from Malihabad are exported to various parts of the country and abroad. The cost of the most famous variety of mangoes 'Dussehri' reaches Rs 200 rupees er quintal in the season.

About 1,000 varieties of mangoes are grown in India, in an area of 2.5 million hectares.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are major mango-growing states in India.

India is the world's biggest producer of this tropical fruit contributing to 59 per cent of total production, but its share in the world mango market is less than 15 per cent.

It exports about 30,000 tonnes of mangoes every year to nearly 40 countries including Britain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Canada and now the Untied States.angoes account for around 39 per cent of the total fruit exports from India.

ANI