New Delhi: The famous langda mango of Varanasi is all set to tickle the taste buds of people around the globe, thanks to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s efforts.
Similarly, people the world over will also be able to taste Ghazipur’s parwal (pointed gourd), Sonbhadra’s green chillies, Jaunpur’s radish and Amroha’s mangoes and vegetables soon as the Yogi Government gears up to turn Varanasi and Amroha districts into the new hub of vegetable and fruit exports within the country as part of his larger goal to increase the income of farmers.
‘Pack houses’ being built in UP to boost exports
This will be made possible through integrated pack houses being built in Varanasi and Amroha to facilitate export of popular farm products belonging to the region. The construction of integrated pack houses is expected to be complete by the end of this year. This will be followed by setting up of integrated pack houses in Pratapgarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Ayodhya, Jhansi and Aligarh.
With the commissioning of these integrated pack houses, the income of the farmers of 13 districts adjoining Varanasi and seven districts adjacent to Amroha will increase substantially.
Varanasi’s langda mango & Amroha’s vegetables to be exported
Not only this, Varanasi and Amroha districts will also be known in the country as the new hub of vegetable and fruit exports.
It is worth noting that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has always given priority to the interests of farmers and his first decision after becoming CM of Uttar Pradesh was to waive off their loans. Since then, he has been continuously taking decisions to increase the income of the farmers.
The Yogi Government decided to set up integrated pack houses in ten districts of the state to facilitate the export of fruits and vegetables last year. Subsequently, the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) announced financial assistance for building integrated pack houses whereas the State Mandi Parishad came forward to build them in those districts where fruits or vegetables are produced in abundance.
In the first phase, the Mandi Parishad approved the budget for the construction of integrated pack houses in Varanasi and Amroha. It was followed by release of Rs 1559.185 Lakh and Rs 1442.55 Lakh for the construction of integrated pack houses in Varanasi and Amroha respectively last year.
The Integrated Pack House of Varanasi will enable farmers of Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Prayagraj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Mau, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoria and Kaushambi to send their fruits and vegetables within the country and abroad.
Similarly, farmers of Moradabad, Bijnor, Rampur, Bareilly, Sambhal and Hapur will be able to send the vegetables and fruits grown in their fields across the country and abroad through the Integrated Pack House of Amroha.
According to officials, mango orchards are spread over about 12,000 hectares of land in Amroha district. Out of the total production of the district, about 2,000 metric tonnes of mangoes are sent to other states or exported abroad. Amroha’s mangoes are very much liked in Gulf countries whereas the langda mango of Varanasi is popular all over the world.
Integrated pack houses in Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur soon
Apart from this, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sant Kabir Nagar region produce several varieties of vegetables and fruits that are foreigners’ favourite. In the year 2018-19, fruits and vegetables worth Rs 277.98 crore were exported from Uttar Pradesh. Last year also several tonnes of ladyfinger, green chili, bottle gourd, luffa, brinjal and radish were exported from Varanasi and its adjoining districts to the UK, Italy, Germany and the UAE. Officials say that after the formation of integrated pack houses in Varanasi and Amroha, the export of fruits and vegetables from these districts to foreign countries is likely to increase manifold and the income of the farmers will also go up in the same proportion.
According to officials, the integrated pack houses being built in Varanasi and Amroha will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The MRL test machines, which show how many chemicals have been used to produce an agricultural product, will also be installed in the integrated pack house. Only those products that get a clearance certificate from the integrated pack house will be exported.
A wide range of fruits and vegetables including mango, gooseberry, ber (Indian jujube), okra, green chilly, bitter gourd, gourd, brinjal, peas, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, guarpods, water chestnut, beetroot etc can now be exported through the integrated pack house. Fruits and vegetables can be exported through these pack houses to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Malaysia. The farm products can also be exported to the UK, Italy, Germany, Russia, Japan and other European countries throughout the year.
