Signalling a major uptick in agro exports, Uttar Pradesh is looking to export about 40 tonnes of mango to Japan and Malaysia this year.
For the first time, the famous Dussehri mango grown in the Lucknow region is also being exported to the United States.
Inaugurating the ‘UP Mango Festival 2024’ in Lucknow, Yogi today said while the prices of Dussehri in India ranges from Rs 60 to Rs 100 per kg, their price in the US market is almost Rs 900 per kg.
“Taking in to account the duties, cargo and airfare costs, sending a kg of mango to USA could cost up to Rs 250-300. Even then, the farmers save around Rs 600 per kg,” he adding the state has been organising the fest for the past 7-8 years to promote progressive farmers.
The government aims to ensure that UP mango not only reached the domestic market, but also the global market.
In collaboration with the Centre, the state has established four pack houses in Saharanpur, Amroha, Lucknow and Varanasi to support farmers.
While UP produces roughly 5.8 million tonnes (MT) of mango on 315,000 hectares of land, it accounts for 25-30 percent of India’s total mango production.
However, the state is yet to tap the full potential of the domestic and the export markets for Dussehri and other indigenous mango varieties.
Last year, a UP horticulture department team visited Moscow to organise a mango festival, which fetched export orders for the state farmers. Earlier, a mango consignment was also sent to Russia.
Meanwhile, Yogi also inaugurated a mango exhibition showcasing 120 mango varieties and flagged off an export consignment.
The three-day fest has attracted mango farmers from UP, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.