Indian mango is no king in global markets Absence of a market strategy, inadequate export infrastructure and unstable supply base are giving Indian mango growers a run for their money, more Soils, Nutrition, and Fertilizer in the international markets where the Indian king of fruits is still to take its place. While India produces over 11m metric tonnes of mangoes annually around 63% of world produce, its export share is just 0.11%. However, APEDA has identified UK, Germany, the Holland, France, Italy and Belgium for mango exports and plans aggressive marketing strategies there. APEDA is making all efforts to make available latest packaging and processing technology for our produce. (Courtesy-The Economic Times, July, 9) EU duty slices local mango pulp exports EU, the main market for India, has imposed a 3.8% import duty on Indian pulp this year, already making Indian pulp mango prices less competitive than Latin American pulp. The EU preferential treatment to Latin American pulp, along with the high fresh fruit prices appear to be affecting negatively India’s traditional pulp export market in the EU, CIS, Africa and in West Asia. (Courtesy-The Economic Times) Getting ‘high’ on mango A “mango champagne” concocted by India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, launched a mango promotion campaign in London with a ‘mango’ dinner. At the launch party at Bombay Brasserie in Central London, there was an overkill of the mango magic as guests were treated to an assortment of mango products-from mango “lassi” to pickles, chutneys and an all mango desert, not forgetting the mango “champagne”, which as a connoisseur remarked, was “neither mango nor champagne”. Half-a-dozen commercial varieties of mango, including alphonso, banganpalli, dushehari, langra and chausa are being promoted as India’s “royal heritage”. A brochure explaining the variety of uses to which mango can be put-consumed as a table fruit, as dessert, or often between meals and processed for preparing pulps, juices, nectars, squashes and jams - is being handed out to traders and potential mango consumers. They are being told that it is India’s “king fruit” and India is the largest producer of mangoes. (Courtesy-The Hindu) Bihar government to provide litchi farmers with mobile fridges Bihar is giving its litchi farmers facilities to store, process and transport the succulent fruit with the hope of doubling exports to over 200 tonnes this summer. The state government will provide the farmers with mobile refrigerator vans and cold storage facilities, said APEDA officials. Each van has a five-tonne capacity. Litchi is cultivated in about 60,000 hectares in the country and Bihar contributes 74% of the total produce, mainly from Muzaffarpur district. According to the National Horticulture Board, country’s total litchi production in ‘98-99 was 428.900m tonnes. Due to the absence of adequate cold storage facilities and refrigerated transport, hardly 1% of litchi farmers in Bihar exports their produce. A team of experts from Kolkata suggested setting up pre-cooling and sulphur treatment facilities in existing cold storage plants to prevent waste. It also recommended opening some new cold storage facilities. The Centre is to provide concessions on export and excise duties to litchi products from the export zone. The Bihar government has also sanctioned the provision of 67 acres for a litchi research centre near Muzaffarpur under the litchi export zone programme. The centre would develop and grow new strains of high yield litchi seeds for supply to farmers at subsidised rates. (Courtesy-The Economic Times) Required more Fruit processing units Along with grand production of grapes, pomogranates are also increasing in production in Nasik district. In Ratnagiri also, cashew and mangoes are having abundant yields. Foreign countries are exporting about 70-80% of processed food, while in India it is only about 2%. In the favour of the same, NABARD officials just now have taken a primary survey whose report is supposed to come out within a months period .The average production, requirement of food processing units, required economic policies etc points are covered in the survey. Agricultural officers, the farmers engaged in the development of wine park, bank representatives etc persons are being visited in the survey. A workshop will also be held if there is such need. |
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