Bihar

• 02 Jul 2024

Scheme for Mango Cultivation

Why in News?

Recently, the state government has introduced a scheme designed specifically for mango cultivation to provide targeted assistance and support to farmers engaged in mango production.

• Bihar produces 15.84 lakh Metric Tons (MT) of mango and ranks third in the country in mango production.

Key Points

• Mango Development Scheme is introduced for enhancing mango’s area expansion with a 50% subsidy at the unit cost of Rs 60,000 per hectare.
  • The state is facilitating a micro irrigation scheme extending 80% support on Drip, Mini, and Micro sprinkler to small and marginal farmers (70% for other farmers) and 80% support on community borewells.
• Bihar is home to many unique flavours of mango, including Dudhia Malda, Jardalu, and Amrapali.
  • Proper marketing and branding can make a significant difference in how fruits from the state are perceived and valued in the market.
• With support from the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Bihar exports around more than 1200 MT of fresh mango to the UK, Middle East, and New Zealand.

Zardalu Mango

• Zardalu is a unique mango variety from Bhagalpur.
• It is known for its light yellow skin and distinct special aroma.
• It was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2018.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

• It was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985.
• It functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Authority has its headquarters in New Delhi.
• In 2020, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) to bring in better synergy in agricultural activities.