BHUBANESWAR: Mangoes of Dhenkanal, which is one of the highest producers of fruit in the state, have reached Dubai this year too. The novelty though is that the mangoes were grown in the backyards of around 150 rural women using organic methods.
Around two quintals of Amrapali mangoes, one of the sweetest varieties of the fruit, have been exported to Dubai under their farmers producer organisation (FPO) Baladevjiu Women Farmers Producer Company.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry facilitated the export for the FPO and also trained the women growers in grading the fruit as per their quality. APEDA also did a quality test report of the mangoes before clearing the product for export. The direct air connectivity to Dubai was an added advantage for the farmers.
One of the members of the FPO’s board of directors Jyotirmayee Pradhan said the delectable taste of the Amrapali variety of mangoes has gained popularity over the years and is being exported to foreign countries now. But, this is for the first time, women farmers of the district have exported it.
Usually, the women sell the mangoes to the FPO which supplies them to the local markets. While locally, it is sold at Rs 20 a kg, Amrapali costs 10 times more in Dubai. The FPO sold it to the exporter at Rs 40 a kg. “The women growers were happy with the price as exporting the fruit was a new concept for them and also, it brought them the reputation of growing export quality mangoes,” she said.
The FPO, which has close to 800 women members now, is being promoted by Grant Thornton Bharat LLP under its Social and Transformative Rural Economic Empowerment (STREE) programme which is supported by HDFC bank Parivartan. “Dhenkanal is popular for its large production of mangoes. We have been supporting the FPO in its various agriculture, marketing and other crop-related activities. They are dealing with other crops too and plan to export vegetables in future, said Sambit Sasmal, state head of Grant Thornton Bharat LLP.
Last year, 2.5 tonne of Amrapali mangoes of the district were also exported to Dubai by a mango farmer Subrat Kumar Das.