Langda’, the famous mango variety from Varanasi, is all set to tickle the taste buds of people around the globe. Similarly, people the world over will also be able to taste Ghazipur’s ‘parwal’ (pointed gourd), Sonebhadra’s green chillies, Jaunpur’s radish and Amroha’s mangoes & vegetables soon as the Yogi government has decided to turn Varanasi and Amroha into the new hub of vegetable and fruit exports as part of a larger goal to increase farmers’ income.
The project will be actualised through integrated pack houses being built in Varanasi and Amroha to facilitate export of popular farm products of the region. The construction work is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Later, similar pack houses will be set up in Pratapgarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, Ayodhya, Jhansi and Aligarh. With the commissioning of these integrated pack houses, the income of farmers of 13 districts adjoining Varanasi and seven districts adjacent to Amroha will increase substantially. Also Varanasi and Amroha will come to be known across the country as the new hub of vegetable and fruit exports.
“The chief minister has always attached considerable importance to farmers’ welfare and his first decision after taking over reins in Uttar Pradesh was to waive off their loans. Since then, several decisions have been taken aiming to multiply farmers’ income,” said a top government official in Lucknow on Saturday.
The state government decided to set up integrated pack houses in ten districts to facilitate export of fruits and vegetables last year. Subsequently, Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) announced financial assistance for building integrated pack houses whereas UP Mandi Parishad came forward to build them in those districts where fruits or vegetables were produced in abundance.
In the first phase, 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 Varanasi pack house will enable farmers of Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Prayagraj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Mau, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoria and Kaushambi to dispatch their fruits and vegetable produce within the country and abroad.
Similarly, farmers of Moradabad, Bijnor, Rampur, Bareilly, Sambhal and Hapur will be able to sell vegetables and fruits grown in their fields across the country and abroad through Integrated Pack House of Amroha.
According to officials, mango orchards are spread over about 12,000 hectares in Amroha district. Of the total production in the district, about 2,000 metric tonnes of mangoes are sent to other states or exported. Amroha’s mangoes are much liked in Gulf countries whereas the Langra mango variety of Varanasi is popular all over the world.
Besides, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sant Kabir Nagar region produce several varieties of vegetables and fruits that are favourites with foreigners. In 2018-19, fruits and vegetables worth Rs 277.98 crore were exported from UP. Last year too, several tonnes of okra, green chilli, bottle gourd, luffa, brinjal and radish were exported from Varanasi and its adjoining districts to the UK, Italy, Germany and the UAE. As per officials, 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 these pack houses. Only those products that get a clearance certificate from the pack house will be exported.