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Lucknow Aam Mahotsav: Yogi opens event, urges like festivals for other fruits as well
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the four-day Lucknow Aam Mahotsav at the Awadh Shilpa Gram, on Monday
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the four-day Lucknow Aam Mahotsav at the Awadh Shilpa Gram, on Monday. The festival will be open to the public from Tuesday.
The event is being organised by the horticulture and food processing department. It will have more than 700 varieties of mangoes and their by-products which will be exhibited by farmers coming from different districts of UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Speaking on the occasion, Adityanath said, “I would like to thank these farmers because of whom the yield has grown so much that it has now doubled. These kinds of festivals should be organised for other fruits as well, and it should be provided to customers at the minimum rate possible so that more and more people can benefit from it,” he added.
He also asked everyone to spread the word about the Mango Expo so that people in large numbers can attend this four-day event. CM also emphasised the importance of the horticulture industry moving toward natural farming.
He said, “I didn’t see a single mango grown naturally at this expo. In general, growers ripen them inorganically, in a rush to meet the demand, resulting in failure to meet export standards. Hence, it is very important that our growers focus on natural farming as well. That is why centres of excellence have been established in the Kannauj and Basti districts. Horticulture scientists are available at each KVK (Krishu Vigyan Kendra) for farmers to learn from. It is the responsibility of all experts here to develop ways for natural mango cultivation, as well as new types, and to combine them with technology. Mango should also be linked to food processing in order to boost its market value and shelf life.”
Lucknow mangoes to be called Kakori, to be promoted internationally
The CM said, “I’m happy to announce that the Indian government has approved ₹100 crore which is to be spent in five years to scale up mango production and market in Uttar Pradesh. The mangoes of Lucknow will be presented with the name of Kakori, and in the coming days we will export it internationally. This will be a small tribute to the leaders who fought during the Indian Independence movement.”
Dinesh Pratap Singh, minister of state in the ministry of agricultural exports (independent charge) said, “We are fortunate to be able to host this event after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. When things improved this year, the CM gave us permission to plan it even better than before. Previously held at Indiagrandi Pratishthan, we moved it this year to Awadh Gram due to improved facilities. In UP there are mango orchards on 2,75,000 hectares, in which 37.5 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes are produced. UP alone accounts for 22% of mango production which is highest in the country. And the credit goes to our farmers,” he added.
Talking about the scope of the horticulture industry, the minister emphasised the need to have a horticulture university in the state similar to agriculture universities. He said, “I have been to all the regions of UP and I can say that there are more opportunities in horticulture than agriculture. We have scientific technology, but I request that the CM reach the farmers on the ground. Hence, it is important that horticulture universities be set up to empower our youth who can bring revolution with their new thinking and laptops.
“A lot of money is spent on making expressways. I would like to draw the CM’s attention towards the booming industry of horticulture that has a potential to give back so much and add to the country’s GDP,” he added.
A book was also launched on the occasion followed by felicitating some farmers from different districts for their unconventional methods in the mango production.
