Envoys to get a taste of UP mangoes

Envoys of various countries would converge on Uttar Pradesh’s land of mangos, Malihabad, on Saturday where they would be given a taste of the Dussehri variety, in an effort to bolster export of the fruits.

Organised by the Mango Growers' Association, the trip will also hold a session of `mushaira' (recital of urdu poetry) for the dignitaries besides mango tasting.

Association president Insram Ali said foreign envoys would be taken to the mango orchards in Malihabad and would also be given mango saplings.

“We want to show to the dignitaries that dussehri is great to taste...we feel that our effort will certainly boost export of this variety of mango to their countries,” Ali said.

He said as many as 15 envoys have accepted the invitation to visit the orchard, including representatives of Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Surinam, Tajikistan etc, who would be shown different varieties of mangos grown in the region.

The event is intended to give a boost to export of   dussehri, enabling growers to sustain their business.

The fruit is currently exported to several West Asian countries like Saudi Arabia, though growers are trying hard to create a market for the mangos in Europe.

Export of Dussheri has been growing, but the Association here feels it is far from strong.
The growers expect to reach 200 tonne figure this year which is much more than the meagre 45 tonnes of mangoes exported in 2008, the association members said.

It remains to be seen if Dussheri, combined with Urdu poetry, would be enough to convince the envoys to promote exports of the fruits.