Statesman News Service
MALDA, 9 JUNE: In an effort to boost mango exports to foreign countries, the Malda district administration has sought help of the TIFAC (Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council) under the Union ministry of science and technology.
MALDA, 9 JUNE: In an effort to boost mango exports to foreign countries, the Malda district administration has sought help of the TIFAC (Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council) under the Union ministry of science and technology.
Recently, senior officials of both the state and Central government ~ including senior scientists of TIFAC and CISH (Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture) Lucknow, held a meeting here with local progressive mango growers, entrepreneurs and people's representative to take initiative for setting up an irradiation plant in Malda to ensure microbiological safety.
Malda accounts for 73 per cent of India's mango exports to foreign countries. However, the majority of its exports go to Bangladesh, as the district is unable to export to West Asia, the US or European countries, because it does not match up to their standards for bacterial safety.
It was decided that the state government would provide required land for setting up the irradiation plant at Malda Food Park in English Bazaar town. During the meeting, the officials also discussed the commercial viability of the project, concluding that at least Rs 15 crore is required to set up the plant.
The meeting proposed that the TIFAC should promote technical and financial support for the benefit of local farmers. The state and Central officials adopted a resolution to set up a study commission to judge the commercial viability of the project here and to submit a detailed project report shortly.
Dr Debabrata Majumder, senior scientist of TIFAC, also the member secretary of the small and medium scale industry, said he would look into the matter and report back to his higher authorities in Delhi soon.
According to Dr Majumder, the irradiation plant will not be viable here for four months in a year, if it is to focus on mango and litchi alone, but it can run regularly and smoothly if it can also be applied to a large quantity of other fruits like pineapple, orange, guava, tomato and other agro-products from adjoining districts. According to the Central officials, Malda district produces four per cent of the total volume of mangos in India. Malda district's contribution is much higher ~ 73 per cent ~ in terms of the total export of mango from India to foreign countries.
Though the Union ministry of commerce and industries has registered three Malda mangoes ~ Fazli, Himsagar and Laxmanbhog, under the Geographic Indicator Act for protecting Intelligence Property Rights, Malda district is still lagging behind in the foreign market as it lacks a brand name.
State officials said that Malda mangoes and their products are being exported to foreign countries after radiation treatment at Lasalgaon, yet the credit goes to Maharastra for export.
Our mangoes - Himsagar and Lakshmanbhog ready to give Alphonso a run for its export market
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In an effort to boost mango exports to foreign countries, the Malda district administration has sought help of the TIFAC (Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council) under the Union ministry of science and technology.
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