Mango farmers from the Indian state of Karnataka have been invited to visit China, Australia and Israel to learn about the latest farming technology and become acquainted with high-yielding mango varieties.
Karnataka has successfully exported 15,000 tonnes of mangoes to the USA this year, impressing foreign countries and leading to invitations to visit other mango growers.
As many as 50 farmers led by Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (Mango Board) will take off to these countries in the first week of September and the board is spending close to Rs7.5 million on the study junket.
While one team of farmers will visit Israel, another team of mango growers will visit China and Australia at the same time. Giving details of the tour programme, Kamalakshi Rajanna, chairperson of the Mango Board, said, "Countries like China, Australia and Israel were surprised by our success in exporting such a huge quantity of mangoes to US after clearing all the stringent tests. While all these countries have adopted advanced technology from planting to harvest, our farmers lack some of the technological aspects. To enable them to get acquainted with the latest technology and different varieties of mangoes, we are taking our farmers to these countries."
Yield and new varieties
The primary objective of the visit is the replication of technology and introduction of new varieties from these countries. "In Karnataka, our farmers are getting about 11 tonnes per hectare (2.5 acres). But using the same amount of space, China gets a yield of 25 tonnes and Israel is producing 30 tonnes. If we are able to understand the technology that has helped them in getting such a better yield, we could also emulate it here and ensure surplus production of mangoes. Similarly, these countries have unique varieties that are rich in juice which will be of more useful for beverages industries in India. We will mainly be looking at these aspects of mango cultivation in these countries," Kamalakshi explained.
Back-to-back drought had forced the Mango Board to abort its earlier plans of flying farmers abroad. However with better rains across Karnataka this year, the board has obtained clearance from the state government for its study trips.
Source: bangaloremirror.com
