Mango Festival 2015 kicked off at Bhrikuti Mandap on Friday with the aim of promoting and marketing the fruit besides encouraging farmers. Organised by the Nepal Fruits Wholesalers Association in collaboration with the Fruits Development Directorate, the two-day event is the first of its kind in the country.
The exhibition hosts 11 stalls, including five wholesale and six retail sales centres, and has 18 varieties of fruits on display.
Speaking at the inauguration, Agriculture Minister Hari Prasad Parajuli said that the subsistence pattern of mango farming should be changed to commercial farming so that the country will become self-sufficient in the fruit, which is known as the king of fruits.
“Mango farmers are doing only subsistence farming, but there is a need to develop commercial farming in pocket areas,” he said. More youths should go into commercial farming, and the ministry is ready to help them, Minister Parajuli added.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the country’s annual requirement of mangos is 277,000 tonnes. There is a shortfall of 6,000 tonnes which is made up by imports from India. Mango farming is done on 47,000 hectares. Siraha and Saptari are the major mango producing districts in the country followed by Mahottari, Kapilvastu, Dhanusha, Sarlahi and Rautahat. Siraha produces 35,000 tonnes of mangos on 5,000 hectares while Siraha produces 20,000 tonnes on 5,000 hectares. Yubak Dhoj GC, director general of department, underlined the need to increase productivity. “Around 20 districts have high potential for mango farming. So the department is also focusing more on boosting productivity,” he said. According to GC, the current productivity is 6 tonnes per hectare. “But we need to double this figure,” he added.
Amar Baniya, president of the Nepal Fruits Wholesalers’ Association, said that they organised the expo to promote Nepali mangoes among consumers. He also urged customers to consume Nepali mangos to encourage Nepali farmers. “The cultivation of a wide variety of mangos has been gaining momentum across the country, and we need to promote the fruit,” said Baniya.
Mangos are being sold at Rs50 to Rs70 per kg at the expo while the wholesale rate ranges from Rs600 to Rs1,150 per carton. Dasheri mango costs Rs800 to Rs1,000 per carton. Malda mango costs between Rs1,000 and Rs1,150 at the festival. Similarly, Bagenpalli mango costs Rs900 to Rs1,000 and Amrapali mango Rs600 to Rs800 per carton. The expo will run through Saturday.
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