By: K.M. Dayashanar
Mangoes grown in the region will be branded ‘Jagtial mango – Telangana’
Benishan or Banganapalli variety of mango, also called as king of fruits, and widely grown in Jagtial district and exported to several parts of northern India and foreign countries, would now be branded as ‘Jagtial mango – Telangana’.
Following the popularity of Jagtial mangoes because of their quality, delicious taste and long shelf-life, there has been demand from the northern parts of the country such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknow, and Gwalior. Every year several crores of rupees worth mangoes are being exported from the region to the northern parts of the country.
In order to promote the mangoes of the region, Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha and Collector A. Sharath decided to give them a brand identity terming it as ‘Jagtial mango – Telangana’. The Horticulture Department has designed the brand stickers Jagtial mango –Telangana which will be pasted on all the mangoes of the region exported in baskets or cartons.
District Horticulture Officer Jyothi said that there are mango groves in a total of 17,700 hectares in 18 mandals of the district. The average production is expected to be around 1,24,900 tonnes worth over Rs. 187 crore. More than Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 70 crore worth mangoes are exported from the Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) Chalgal in Jagtial mandal, she said. Besides, some other traders directly visit the fields and procure the mangoes from farmers.
She said the Jagtial mangoes have become popular because of their sweetness and quality when compared to the mangoes of Andhra Pradesh. The Jagtial mangoes, which arrive late into the market after the first week of April, have less water content and more shelf-life and hence are more in demand in the export market, she added.
Collector A. Sharath said all arrangements have been made for the traders to purchase the mangoes after April 5 onwards.
Welcoming the branding, a farmer Velmula Rami Reddy of Podur village in the district urged the government to take measures to ensure that the mangoes were sold at Rs. 45,000 to Rs. 50,000 per tonne. A trader Md Ameen said it gave them a sense of pride to export the branded mangoes.
Source: The Hindu
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