Bihar: The mango land

PATNA: Bihar, a state known for its rich cultural diversity, is also home to an impressive array of mango varieties. With over 300 different types of mangoes cultivated across its 38 districts, each district boasts at least five unique varieties of this beloved fruit. The govt has taken several steps to preserve and promote this “king of all fruits”.
Unfortunately, several mango varieties, such as Fazli, Sipiya, Sinduria and Sukul, are on the brink of extinction.However, the state govt and Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, are committed to reviving these disappearing varieties and restoring Bihar’s pride in its mango heritage.
The govt has extended the farming area of mangoes by 800 hectares across the state, according to Rajeev Ranjan, assistant director of horticulture. He says the area has been divided among all 38 districts of the state, and the govt will distribute mango saplings among farmers as per the allocated area of extension in their respective districts.
“Eleven districts – Gopalganj, Madhepura, Nawada, Saran, Supaul, Bhagalpur, West Champaran, East Champaran, Purnia, Samastipur, and Vaishali – have been allocated 35 hectares each. Gaya is the only district which has been allocated the lowest, five hectares, extension area,” he says, adding the govt has also allocated Rs 10 lakh each for sapling distribution in the 35-hectare area of cultivation.
FARMING AREA
Suraj Prakash, an assistant professor and junior scientist at Bhola Paswan Shastri Krishi Mahavidyalaya, Purnia, says the govt has already started implementing the extension of the farming area for Zardalu mango in Bhagalpur. “We will do the same for all other varieties of mango. Zardalu, which is cultivated in large numbers in Bhagalpur, has also received GI tag,” he says.
Prakash further says the govt also needs to introduce exotic varieties of the fruit, like Haden and Carabao, both red-colour fruits, and extend the cultivation area of old varieties, like Gulabkhas, Safdar Pasand, Dudhia Malda, Mithua (Bambaiya), Hemsagar, and Navras. “We should be more focused on exotic varieties of the fruit because these have a longer shelf life,” he says.
Asked about some dead varieties of mangoes, he says rejuvenation and maintenance of old orchards are not being done at the personal level, leading to the death of some varieties and a sharp decline in the cultivation of the rest of the produce. “The reason behind this is the migration of people from villages to urban areas and the urbanization of rural areas which hit the production level very hard. In Patna, where Dudhia Malda was produced in abundance, there is hardly any mango tree now,” he says.
“We are, however, trying to restore some dead and on the verge of death varieties. Like, Dudhia Malda has a very small number of mother plants. We have 250 varieties of mother plants of the fruit that we have conserved since the inception of the Fruit Substation, Sabour, in 1941, which later became Bihar Agriculture University. The substation was the first to introduce the mango hybrid variety, Prabha Shankar and Mehmood Waha, in 1951. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, did it in 1971,” Prakash adds.
BRANDING OF FRUITS
Rubi Rani, a horticulture scientist of Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, talks about the branding of the fruits in the same way Maharashtra has done for Alphonso mango. “Keeping this in mind, the govt has started packaging of GI-tagged Zardalu mango from the Indian Institute of Packaging in Mumbai. We have been directed to do the same with other mangoes also so that we could get a GI tag for them as well. We have also done an extensive survey on Dudhia Malda and will submit a report to the govt in July-August for the conservation of its mother plants and extension of its cultivation area,” she says.
Mohammad Feza Ahmad, director of seed and farm at BAU-Sabour, suggests ways to improve the quality and quantity of mangoes. He says the university has urged the govt to maintain old orchards through a rejuvenation policy. “In Bihar, 80% of orchards have no water and fertilizer management. Earlier, in the early season of the fruit, there used to be 2-3 spells of rain which helped them grow better. But now it does not happen. So, there should be an irrigation plan for every orchard,” the professor says.
The BAU professor also criticized farmers for using calcium carbide for ripening the fruits, which is very hazardous. “The govt should open ripening chambers at every possible location so that the use of calcium carbide could be stopped. In the chamber, fruits are stored at 17 degrees Celsius temperature and release ethylene gas which helps fruits to ripen in a uniform way,” Ahmad says.