First commercial consignment of GI-certified mangoes from Bihar exported to UK

In a major boost to the agri-exports potential of the eastern region, the first commercial consignment of Geographical Indications (GI) certified "Jardalu" mangoes from Bhagalpur, Bihar, was exported on Monday to the United Kingdom. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA) in collaboration with the Bihar government, Indian High Commission and Invest India, exported juicy and aromatic mangoes which were packed and treated at APEDA packhouse in Lucknow.

With distinct aroma and taste, Jardalu mangoes from Bhagalpur district of Bihar received GI certification in 2018. A Ministry of Commerce and Industry release said APEDA has been initiating measures to boost mango exports from non-traditional regions. Recently, a week-long Indian mango promotion programme was organized in Bahrain where 16 varieties of the fruit including three GI certified Khirsapati and Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal) and Jardalu (Bihar) were displayed at superstores of importer Al Jazeera group.

The release said that APEDA has been conducting virtual buyer-seller meets and festivals to promote mango exports. APEDA recently organised mango festivals in Berlin, Germany as well as in Japan in collaboration with Indian embassies. APEDA in collaboration with the Indian embassy, Seoul, and the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Korea organised a virtual buyer-seller meet in May to provide a platform to the exporters and importers of mangoes from India and South Korea.

India exported a consignment of GI-certified Banganapalli and other variety Survarnarekha mangoes sourced from farmers in the Krishna and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. "The mangoes exported to South Korea, were treated, cleaned and shipped from the APEDA assisted and registered packhouse with a vapor heat treatment facility at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and exported by IFFCO Kisan SEZ (IKSEZ). This was the first export consignment sent by IKSEZ, which is a subsidiary of IFFCO, a multi-state cooperative with a membership of 36,000 societies," the release said.

Mango in India is also referred to as 'king of fruits' and referred to as Kalpavriksha (wish-granting tree) in ancient scriptures. While most of the states in India have mango plantations, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka have a major share in the total production of the fruit. Mangoes are processed by the APEDA-registered packhouse facilities and then exported to various regions and countries including the middle-east, European Union, the USA, Japan, and South Korea.