By IANS
New Delhi : Indian mangoes are going places. So much so that a special mango festival will be held in Tokyo from May 23-28 as part of the India-Japan Friendship Year celebrations.
Organised by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industry of India and Japan-India Business Cooperation Committee (JIBCC), the festival will be inaugurated by Indian Commerce and Industry minister Kamal Nath.
India is the largest producer of mangoes in the world and contributes to 50 percent of the world mango production. The unique flavour, aroma and colour of the fruit have made it internationally popular.
Among the many Indian mango varieties, those that are approved in Japan are Alphonso, Kesar, Benganpalli, Langra, Chausa and Mallika. In addition to the usual post-harvest procedures followed for other destinations, a special vapour heat treatment (VHT) is also carried out for exports to Japan, strictly in accordance with the Japanese import regulation.
The inauguration of the festival will be followed by in-store promotions at 15-20 selected departmental stores and super markets till May 28. Mango based cuisine will also be promoted at 30 selected Indian restaurants until then.
A short film on Indian mangoes will be screened at the launch of the festival, which is scheduled to be attended by representatives of the concerned government ministries, prominent members of the Indian community, exporters, importers, members of the Japan and Tokyo chambers of commerce and other officials.