BENGALURU: Mango growers of Karnataka have reason to smile. There is a surge in demand for the fruit grown in the State in offshore markets this year, after having established its aroma and taste the world over. "At the beginning of the season, Karnataka bagged an export order for 1,500 tonnes to the US," said Kadire Gowda, Managing Director, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation, a board established to exclusively promote mangoes.
Gowda said the corporation hopes to export at least 10,000 tonnes of mangoes to the US, parts of the European Union, UAE, Kuwait, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and other countries due to strong demand and expected sufficient supply of export quality fruit. However, record exports will depend on supply of quality mangoes like Alphonso, Banganapalli, Mallika etc. These late maturing varieties are likely to be ready for harvesting around May 20.
Karnataka, the third largest producer after Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, cultivates 13-18 lakh tonnes of mangoes on 2.2 lakh hectares of land across the State, with Srinivasapura in Kolar district being the biggest producer. Production dipped to about 3-4 lakh tonnes this year, compared to last year's 14 lakh tonnes due to drought and unseasonal rain.
Source: Dailyshippingtimes.com
