Siraha. It’s the mango season. Not only in the market of Siraha, but also on the roadside as well as everywhere. Some mango farmers are waiting for customers, while others are forced to sell them. The roadside on the East-West Highway is covered with mangoes.
Siraha is flooded with the aroma of mangoes, including maldaha. The aroma of mangoes flowing in the courtyard of every house, the corner of the garden and the side of the market is the hallmark of Siraha. The fragrance dissolved in the air, which turns into taste. This taste has now become the story of business, employment and self-reliance.
Siraha is considered as the capital of mangoes. However, this title is not given by any official body, but it is an analogy developed in the public mind. The practice of calling Siraha the ‘capital of mangoes’ may be mainly due to its mass production, plains, hot weather, unique quality and commercial importance.
Mango is not only a delicious fruit, it is also a fruit associated with nutrition, health, culture and economy. That is why it is considered not only the ‘king of fruits’ but also the ‘fruit of life’. The hope, hard work and future of thousands of commercial farmers who live in its cultivation are tied to it. Mango is not only a symbol of taste and aroma, it is also the basis of life for many.
Bharat Yadav and Niraj Singh, farmers of Musaharnia of Golbazar Municipality-3, have prepared a systematic mango orchard spread over an area of about 100 bighas, which has now become the largest commercial mango cultivation model in the district. This garden has not only contributed to the amount of production but has also provided motivation to increase the interest of farmers towards commercial mango farming in the district.
Niraj Singh, a farmer, said, “Earlier, we used to cultivate traditionally, but now we have made it commercial by focusing on market, technology and management.” During the season, we pick up 200 to 500 cartons of mangoes, pack them and transport them to Kathmandu, Pokhara, Birgunj and Janakpur. Mangoes worth lakhs of rupees are sold every year from the garden, he said.
Farmer Singh lamented that the trend of filling the market with Indian mangoes has been repeated this year as well, even before the main mango season started in Nepal. According to him, indian mangoes are seen in the city market of Nepal from the second week of May, while the local mangoes start maturing only in the first and second weeks of June. “Due to this, commercial farmers across the country are worried,” he said.
The farmers here are lagging behind in the competition as indian mangoes have entered the market at cheaper rates even before the arrival of mangoes in the market. Bharat Yadav, a commercial farmer from Musaharnia in Siraha, said, “We have worked hard to produce mangoes, but we have suffered huge losses as Indian imports have not given market to our produce. On the one hand, the production of mangoes decreased, on the other hand, the market price remained the same. ’
Although Indian mangoes are available at cheap prices in Nepal, consumers often complain about the fear of using chemicals, less taste and less freshness. Lack of clear policy on import of fruits in Nepal, poor border level monitoring and lack of protection of local products are the main reasons. Farmers say, “The Government of Nepal raises the slogan of self-reliance on paper, but in practice, there is no protection of farmers. ’
Despite its taste and quality, local mango production is finding it difficult to compete with Indian fruits in the market. Although foreign mangoes look brighter and more attractive, there are reports of excessive use of pesticides or chemicals in many of them.
Shambhu Chaudhary, a commercial farmer of Lahan-24, said, “We only take some biological measures to control the disease and do not use excessive pesticides. Therefore, our mangoes are tasty, safe and fresh. ’
Siraha first in mango production
Madhes province is a fertile land for mango cultivation. The climate and soil here are suitable for mango production. Mango is cultivated commercially in eight districts of saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa. Secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Madhes Province, Dr Umesh Dahal, said the province contributes more than 77 per cent to mango production.
According to the ministry data, mango is cultivated in 42,773 hectares of land across the country. Of the 513,055 metric tonnes of mangoes produced annually, 29,099 hectares are cultivated in Madhes province alone. It produces 395,794 metric tonnes of mangoes annually.
Siraha is at the forefront in terms of mango production. Siraha produces 104,676 metric tonnes of mangoes annually, followed by Saptari (96,000), Dhanusha (36,916), Mahottari (32,722), Sarlahi (39,118), Rautahat (62,561), Bara (19,269) and Parsa (4,731 metric tonnes).
Named in taste
Mangoes sold as ‘Lahan’s Mald Mango’ in different cities of Nepal are famous in terms of taste, but in recent times, due to fraud, pesticide use and fake labeling in the market, its notoriety is also increasing. This mango is famous among those who have tasted the mald of Lahan.
Prakash Sah Haluwai, chief of lahan municipality’s agriculture section, said, “Consumers who have eaten the real mald mangoes of Lahan openly appreciate its sweetness, aroma and natural juiciness. But in the market, low quality, prematurely cooked or Indian mangoes are sold in the same name, which has increased confusion and dissatisfaction among consumers. In Lahan, Dhangadhimai, Golbazar, Mirchaiya and Chure areas of Karjanha municipality of Siraha on the northern side of the highway, mangoes grown on dry land are tastier and sweeter than those grown in wet areas in the southern part.
‘Branding’ of local mangoes
For the last two years, Lahan Municipality has been branding the mangoes of Lahan and sending them to various cities including Kathmandu to promote organic Lahan’s mangoes by discouraging those who sell them in another place as ‘Lahan’s mango’, selling one mango in another place, selling mangoes used in pesticides and defaming Lahan’s mangoes. Badri Narayan Chaudhary, agriculture coordinator of the municipality, said that branding, grading and packaging of mangoes produced by farmers in the villages will not deceive consumers and producers.
According to Agriculture Coordinator Chaudhary, 30 metric tonnes of mangoes were branded in the first year and 90 metric tonnes in the second year in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Hetauda. Similarly, mangoes of Golbazar have also been branded from this year.
‘Branding’ not done after production was reduced
According to lahan municipality’s agriculture section, mangoes have not been branded this year due to a decrease in mango production. The production of mangoes has decreased by 20 percent this year as compared to last year. Prakash Sah Haluwai, chief of lahan municipality’s agriculture section, said that the branding was not done this year as it could not meet the demand.
Lahan is also a large mango market produced in Sripur area in the northern part of Surungamai Municipality of Saptari. According to Narendra Mahaseth, chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, the municipalities of Lahan, Golbazar, Dhangadhimai, Golbazar Mirchaiya and Karjanha municipalities, which are connected to the national highway in Siraha district and have an environment in the Chure area, have come up with a program to distribute mango saplings to the farmers with 50 percent subsidy.
Problems with not having a lubrication center
In his address to the Madhes State Assembly on April 2, 2081 BS, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had said that mango, the main fruit of the province, should be exported to Europe and other countries. The Prime Minister said that the mango juice of Madhes could be branded as juice to earn a decent income. However, the storage center required to store mangoes is not only in Siraha but also in Madhes province.
Lahan Municipality Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary said that the resources of the local level will not be used for the construction of the center. He complained that despite repeated initiatives taken by the state and federal governments for this purpose, they were ignored. “If there was a systematic chilling centre, farmers could store mangoes and sell them when the price came. Although we have talked to the central and state governments for this, no progress has been made so far. It is ironic that there is no chilling center in the area where mangoes are produced the most. ’
Experts say that madhes’s mangoes can become an international brand if the government facilitates the processing center, processing factory and export for commercial mango farmers. If both production and distribution are improved, the possibility of mango cultivation in Madhes can bring about a radical change in the field of commercial agriculture is very strong.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्