Mangoes from West Bengal will shortly find shelf space in Europe. The state government has initiated preparatory work to fill the shelves of malls in countries like the United Kingdom, Italy, France and others with the best of mangoes that are produced in Malda district.
From June onwards, mango varieties like Himsagar, Lyangra, Fazli, Laxmanbhog and others are going to be exported to Europe.
According to agicultural experts, production of mango this summer is expected to cross 400 metric tonnes.
State agricultural department officials said that mangoes need to be carefully selected for exporting. “Each piece needs to weigh between 300 and 350 grams. There should be no marks on the fruits and they should be ripe yet hard enough to withstand the pressure of packing and to remain fresh for a certain length of time,” said the officials.
Modern packaging houses are being built by the state government where fruits will be packed according to international standards.
Special hot water plants are also being built to treat the fruits. Since most of the mangoes to be exported will come from Malda district the packaging houses and fruit treatment facilities are also being built there.
The state government also plans to export mangoes at USA and Japan too.