24-05-2025
Amrapali mangoes from Dhenkanal exported to Europe
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Bhubaneswar: Around 10 metric tonnes of Amrapali mangoes from Dhenkanal were exported to European markets, including UK and Italy, last week. With over 100 women mango farmers trained on export standards, the development is poised to transform local livelihood options through global trade, official sources said.
"Five metric tonnes of Amrapali mangoes were shipped from Dhenkanal to England in the last three days. Odisha's fruits and vegetables exports are gaining global momentum. New destinations — Rome, Venice, Birmingham — and products such as jackfruit, drumstick, wood apple and ice apple are growing the export basket," said Arabinda Padhee, secretary, agriculture and farmers' empowerment department.
The capacity-building programme by the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in association with consulting firm Grant Thornton Bharat, helped the farmer producer organisations (FPO)s in addressing post-harvest challenges and enhancing export readiness.
"More than 33 FPOs across eight districts in Odisha have benefited, with support extended to over 100 women farmers on best practices, including sorting, grading, cleaning, packaging and storing to maintain international export quality," said Sambit Sasmal, an agri-export consultant.
State govt also provided interventions like subsidies for coolers and plastic crates, transit and storage rent assistance, and support for value addition, branding and marketing.
"The knowledge has freed us from depending on local dealers who offered low prices. Now we pluck and package as per international standards and connect directly with global buyers," said Jyotirmayee Pradhan, a mango farmer from Dhenkanal.
The woman farmers said they get around 10 times more price from exporting mangoes to global markets compared to the price locally. Dhenkanal alone has 9.34 hectares of mango cultivation, and its potential for premium quality exports is being tapped under the initiative.
Last year, mangoes from a local FPO were exported to Dubai. This year, around 50 tonnes are expected to be exported to global markets by June.
"The export opportunity has increased our earnings 10-fold. Odisha's women mango farmers are no longer just cultivators but are emerging as key players in international agri markets," said Pradhan, joined by Padmini Sahoo, a board member of FPO, during the recent export consignment dispatch.
