Icrisat working on adding value to two mango varieties

Both the varieties are known for their colour, taste and sweetness. Banganapalli is a mid-season crop while Suvarnarekha is an early-season crop.

The value addition would be done on the lines of Kiwi fruit. The BKC team recently visited several research institutes in the Kiwi land to study the best farming practices. A team from New Zealand also visited Andhra Pradesh a few weeks ago to study the mango-growing patterns and recommend the necessary procedures.

Speaking to Business Standard, Agri Science Park chief executive officer Abdul Rahman Ilyas said the BKC had partnered HortResearch, a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand that is exclusively focused on horticulture research and technology sharing, for this project.

The total project cost is about Rs 10 crore. The Andhra Pradesh State Horticulture Mission will be the major funding partner while Indu Projects will co-partner with an assistance of Rs 2.5 crore. HortResearch will bring in the learning component.

"Our new products - improved varieties of Banganapalli and Suvarnarekha - should be ready in five years," Ilyas said. The BKC aims to exports 1,500 tonne of these varieties after value addition.

The state is ranked second in mango production but lags in exports due to absence of a proper supply chain and lack of processing plants. Japan topped the list of countries that imports Banganapalli. The yield of Banganapalli fell by 50-60 per cent in some key districts like Krishna this year because of poor fruit-setting and the crop. The crop also came under the attack of thrips and fruit flies due to increased moisture. The total mango production is estimated to be about 450,000 tonne in the state this year of which about 1,000 tonne was exported as against 2,000 tonne last year.

In the process, BKC will establish packhouses, set up farmer linkages and put in place a supply chain for meeting market demands.

The centre will also facilitate export of mangoes from farmers. "The farm gate price of mangoes is about Rs 15 per kg though they have a potential to fetch Rs 80-100 a kg,'' he said, adding the BKC would first address the pre-harvest concerns of the farmers, inform them on fertiliser usage and assist with post-harvest technologies for a longer shelf life and better yield.

It will also adopt about 100 orchards, each over 50 acre, to demonstrate best practices in mango cultivation and monitor the farm activities of the enrolled farmers.

In the next phase, the centre will take up pomegranate, which is now bogged down by a critical virus problem.

The Rs 30-crore BKC will create research facilities for new product development, particularly high-value food products. It will also create a wet lab space and pilot laboratories. It is expecting $ 2.5 million from the New Zealand government, Rs 5 crore from the food procession ministry and some funds from private players for its various activities.

Meanwhile, the Agri Science Park is working on a project to convert select chickpea, groundnut and other semi-arid tropic crop farmers into seed growers. It will also get into the consulting business next year for promoting the semi arid tropics (SAT) tourism, a concept devised to preserve the diversity of the environment. "The SAT area comprises 80 per cent in India and provides a good business opportunity,'' he said, adding SAT tourism projects would be promoted as education and knowledge centres and leisure hubs.