Curtains down on 3-day mango festival

A delegation would be sent to Ukraine this year to encourage exports, said minister Dinesh Pratap Singh

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Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi and Dinesh Pratap Singh on the final day of a mango festival that was underway at Awadh Shilpgram in Lucknow on Sunday

LUCKNOW: The three-day mango festival at Awadh Shilpgram drew to a close on Sunday. Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi and Dinesh Pratap Singh, who graced the event, felicitated the winners of various contests held on the occasion.

At the event, Singh, who’s the minister of state for horticulture, agricultural marketing, agricultural foreign trade and agricultural export, said similar to how a delegation of the horticulture department and progressive gardeners was sent to Moscow to encourage exports in 2023, a team would be sent to Ukraine this year.

Over a hundred prizes were given away in various categories. The highest 17 awards were won by Iqbal Ahmed from Malihabad followed by 13 awards to S.C. Shukla of Gomti Nagar. The festival showcased a variety of mango dishes.

Gardeners and fruit producers from Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand also took part in the event. Besides the regular Dussehri, Langra, Chaunsa, Gaurjeet, Lucknow Safeda, Rataul and Amrapali, Tommy Atkins, Sensation, Arunika and other mango varieties were also crowd-pullers.

At the event, Shahi, the state agriculture minister, said: “The horticulture department is touching new heights under the leadership of the Yogi government... Many schemes are being run by the central and state governments to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their crops. World-class packing houses, treatment centers and modern testing centers are being established to increase exports.”