Over 500 varieties of mangoes have been put on display and sale at the three-day 24 Mango Festival organised by Delhi Tourism at Dilli Haat in Pitampura .
The festival, which was inaugurated on Friday, would give agro and food processing industries the opportunity to display their products.
In 2011-12, mango exports from India amounted to 59,404 metric tonnes and brought in Rs.196 crore as foreign exchange earnings. Keeping in view the favourable climatic conditions during the current season, India’s mango exports are expected to rise marginally, event organisers said.
Delhi Tourism said the mango festival not only helps in popularising the fruit but also in spreading awareness about the massive research and innovation that goes behind the cultivation of mangoes. “Even though mango is an integral part of the Indian cuisine, one hardly comes across more than 10 varieties of the fruit in one’s lifetime. The festival brings to light hundreds of mango varieties that exist today and new ones that are being developed and cultivated every year. While mangoes in different shapes and styles have already been in the market for quite some time now, the city still awaits the festival to relish the fruit in its various forms,” it said.
The first Mango Festival was organised in 1987 to celebrate the flavours provided by the “king of all fruits”. Over the years the festival has grown in size and scale and now attracts over 20,000 visitors per day.
Apart from seeking to improve the lot of the farmers by providing them greater guidance, the festival would this year also witness participation from various institutes and organisations engaged in growing mangoes and carrying out research on the fruit.
The festival would put on display several common and uncommon varieties like Sirki, Suwarn, Jahangir, Neeleshwari, Royal SP, Raddy, Pasand, Himasagar, Kensington, Amrapali and Mallika, Neelam, Fazli, Banganpalli and Dushehari, Langra, Alphonso, Kesar, Tota Pari and Vanraj to name a few.
