Mangoes to be available in winter also

In a first-of-its-kind, mangoes, generally enjoyed during the hot summers, will also be available in the off season, with farmers in West Bengal planting new varieties which will bear fruit in winter also.

In a first-of-its-kind, mangoes, generally enjoyed during the hot summers, will also be available in the off season, with farmers in West Bengal planting new varieties which will bear fruit in winter also.

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Mango growers in Malda district, famous for the fruit, usually plant trees which yield fruit in summer and often go without much earning in winter, officials said.

"Varieties such as Baramasia, Dofala, Topala, Vastara and China Vastara are being promoted after farmers in Adisaptagram and Bandel in Hooghly district got very good yield last winter," District Mango Development Officer, Samarendranath Khanra told PTI.

These varieties of mango trees blossom in June-July and the fruits ripen in winter, he said.

As the price of mango is very high in winter, the farmers expect to reap good economic benefit, horticulture department officials said.

Khanra said the farmers of the district have shown keen interest in planting these new varieties.

The saplings would be available free of cost from nurseries in Gajole and Ratua, he said.

Malda district in West Bengal is famous for its mango and it is grown on more than 26,000 hectares of land across the district.