This year mango yield in the state has been a hit, making the fruit, especially the much-liked Kesar variety, go scarce in local markets. Undeterred, State Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani is to head a nine-member delegation to UK for promotion of the varieties of the fruit grown in the state over there.
“Gujarat produces quality mango varieties like Kesar and Alphonso and there is a tremendous scope to market them in the UK. The main objective of our visit to that country is to promote the export of mangoes from the state,” said Sanghani.
The minister told Newsline on Thursday that his department had already dispatched a cargo containing sample mangoes of both the varieties to some leading buyer companies in London. The delegation will leave for London as soon as these importers pass the samples of the fruit.
Director (Horticulture) S R Chaudhari said during their five-day stay in London, the delegation members would meet leading fruit importers there and also study various aspects of its marketing such as the volume of demand and the quality of mangoes the local consumers insist on.
Kesar mangoes from Junagadh and Kutch and Alphonso from Valsad and Navsari are in great demand among NRIs and others in the UK.
The other members of the delegation who will visit the UK include Principal Secretary (Agriculture) P N Roy Choudhary, Director (Horticulture) S R Chaudhari and six leading mango-growers from Saurashtra and Kutch and south Gujarat.
Sanghani said besides in the UK, Kesar and Alphonso mangoes are in demand in the US, Japan and several African as well as Gulf countries. There are many mango-growers in Gujarat who do not know where and how to market their produce in overseas countries, he said, adding, “The government wants to be a link between these mango-growers and importers.”
Source: indianexpress.com
Publication date: 6/2/2009
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