भा.कृ.अनु.प.- कें.उ.बा.सं., लखनऊ द्वारा आम निर्यात को बढ़ावा देने के लिए संवाद वार्ता का आयोजन

ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow organized a farmer-scientist interaction program on May 21, 2022 involving progressive mango growers, scientists and APEDA officials for identifying and addressing the gaps stalling mango exports from Uttar Pradesh with focus on Dashehari mango. This program was organized under Amrit Bharat Mahotsav on the theme ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat: One District One product- Local to Global’. On this occasion, Dr. (Mrs.) Neelima Garg, Director, ICAR-CISH said that Dashehari mango produced in Lucknow and neighboring districts has a vast potential for export. She exhorted the farmers to adopt the best management practices to ensure that their Dashehari fruits meet the global export standards. She assured the mango growers of all possible scientific and technical help in this regard. She also presented an overview of various post-harvest management practices and value-added products in mango for enhancing the farmers’ income. Dr. C. B. Singh, Regional Head, APEDA discussed the role of various pre- and post-harvest practices in enhancing the cosmetic appeal of mango fruits that plays a crucial role in consumer acceptability of the Indian mangoes abroad. He said that proper harvesting, pre-cooling, grading and packaging were critical to ensure competitiveness in mango exports. He requested the farmers to apply only recommended pesticideswhile maintaining pre-harvest interval and maximum residue limit standards. Citing the success story of Zardalu mango exports from Bihar, he was optimistic that Dashehari mango growers will increasingly collaborate with other stakeholders in the mango supply chain- State Horticulture Department, APEDA, testing and certification agencies, pack-houses and exporters etc. to harness the export potential. Er. A. K. Verma, Senior Scientist delivered a lecture on the topic ‘Safe harvesting, ripening and storage practices for promoting mango exports’ and described in detail various post-harvest operations for producing the best quality mangoes for export. Earlier, Dr. R. A. Ram, Head, Crop Production Division welcomed all the participants and informed them about the importance of Atmanirbhar Krishi. He also briefly informed about use and benefits of CISH Bio-enhancer in horticultural crops. On this occasion, CISH Bio-enhancer was provided to the farmers free-of-cost. Some of the farmer participants raised their queries including problems in Horti-net registration which were replied by the concerned speakers. This program was attended by about 50 participants including mango growers and CISH staff. The program was coordinated by Dr. Anshuman Singh, Senior Scientist.