This year, horticulture experts in Bihar are expecting a bumper mango and litchi harvest, with production estimated to be at least 30 to 35% more than last year. The fruit is already on market stalls, but higher quality produce is soon expected.
The horticulture wing of the state agriculture department is expecting an 'on year' for the mango crop. In the current season, a yield of at least 1.6-1.7 million metric tonnes (MT) of mango is expected, which is at least 30% more than the previous year's production of 1.3 million MT.
Despite drought and a continued dry spell, the horticulture experts are foreseeing a reasonably good mango production, thanks to nearly 80% of flowering and formation of fruits noticed in at least 16 mango-growing districts.
Deputy director (horticulture) Sanjay Kumar Sinha said over 1.4 million hectares of land in the state is under mango cultivation and 32,204 hectares of land under litchi cultivation.
As for litchi, this year the yield is expected to be over 200,000 MT compared to 197,000 MT last year. "The quality will be much better in comparison to last year as the plants are disease-free this time," Sinha said.
According to a National Horticulture Mission (NHM) report, "Bihar, which is the fourth largest producer of fruit in the country, has a distinctive advantage of producing good quality mango in respect of certain varieties like Safed Maldah, Mallika and Zardalu. The distinct feature of Bihar mango is that it contains high pulp content, less fibrous and thin skin."
Bihar ranks third in mango cultivation and covers about 50% of the total fruit area in the state as per National Horticulture Mission (NHM) sources.
The major varieties grown in the state are Maldah, Mallika, Jardaloo, Gulabkhas, Bumbai, Daseri and Chausa. Of these, Maldah contributes about 30% of the total production.
