Gandhinagar, May 24 (IANS) Digvijaysinh Gohil, an importer of mangoes in England, said that whenever boxes of Kesar and Hapus mangoes packed from Gujarat are unloaded at London’s Heathrow Airport, it fills the entire cargo area with the aroma, making him proud of his identity.

However, he is not alone in feeling such pride. Those living across the seven seas have a strong liking for Gujarat’s Kesar mangoes and Maharashtra’s Hapus varieties.

Though mangoes from South American nations like Brazil and Peru also get shipped in international markets on a large scale but their flavour and taste remain no match to Kesar mangoes, the latter are truly the “King of mangoes”.

The Kesar mangoes are exported to US and Europe after undergoing detailed processing at orchards and pack houses, accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

According to Samir Sapariya, owner of ‘Kunj Cold Ware Solution’ — an APEDA-accredited pack house, said, “We conduct the necessary processing for mango exports right here at our pack house. We process and pack the mangoes in accordance with the specific requirements of destinations such as the US, England, the UAE, Australia, as well as various European and Gulf nations.”

“For exports destined for the US, we employ a specialised ‘Hot Water Treatment’ process, which has been receiving an exceptionally positive response,” he added.

“For exports to England and Canada, the mangoes undergo a hot water treatment followed by a ripening process before being packed. We also process Kesar, Rajapuri, and Alphonso (Hapus) varieties of mangoes.”

Kesar mangoes are sourced from Junagadh, Talala, and Kutch, while Rajapuri mangoes come from Valsad.

Samir Sapariya also elaborated, saying, “When a product possesses inherent quality and is backed by modern technology, it is possible to achieve global recognition and prestige.”

The Kesar mango, hailing from the orchards of Gir, has today emerged as a global brand.

Now with Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), farmers are able to export their mangoes directly to foreign markets on their own terms and earn revenues without any mediator.

If farmers form groups or FPOs to streamline their production and export efforts, they become eligible for various subsidies and forms of assistance provided by the government.

According to exporters, the initiative extends beyond just mangoes, a grand plan has been set in motion to introduce Gujarat’s premium vegetables — such as G-4 chilies, okra, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, and sponge gourd — to foreign markets using these same modern processing techniques.

This rollout is scheduled to commence following the monsoon season this year.

–IANS

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