India: mangoes enter political arena in Malda

Mango fruit plays a key role in elections in West Bengal's Malda district - sounds strange - but that is the ground situation. Eighty per cent of the population grow mangoes and they determine the outcome of polls in the area. Mango growers not just drive the economy of Malda, known as the fruit basket of West Bengal, but also its politics.

Traditionally the northern district has been a stronghold of the Congress party with the late Ghani Khan Choudhury being elected eight times as MP in the region. Malda's politcal landscape is fast changing. Of the 11 seats in the district in 2001 polls, the Congress won five while the Left got six seats.

Agri-export zone

After declaring Malda as an agri-export zone five years ago the West Bengal government initiated measures such as the multi-purpose cold storage and a new food-processing park that is being built to give thrust to export promotion. "In 2004 we exported some mangoes to London..in 2005..some were sent to Singapore and Malaysia..by exporting growers get a better price," said mango development officer Samarendra Nath Khara.

Mango growers want more than ensuring better price from exports and want mango farming to be given industry status. "The state government and the central government should do more, we should be able to get bank finance, insurance," said mango grower Ujjwal Saha. In Malda good business sense makes good politics. Anyone who can keep these mango growers happy will be comfortably placed.

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