Mango express trains resume from Vizianagaram

VISAKHAPATNAM: Kisan Express or popularly known as Mango Express resumed its journey from Vizianagaram to New Delhi to supply mangoes to the north Indian markets. So far 13 trains have been dispatched carrying 4,567 tons earning Rs 2.04 crore to the railways, according to railway sources.

Last year only seven trains were dispatched as wagons were used for transporting coal. They carried 2,016 tons and railways could earn only Rs 88.30 lakh.

The Mango Express train carried 10,179 tonnes of mangoes to New Delhi in 2019, 7,000 tonnes in 2020 and 4,330 in 2021. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Man Ki Baat’ programme on May 30, 2021, praised Waltair Division for launching Mango Express that helped marginal farmers.

The mango orchards are grown on 30,000 hectares in Vizianagaram district, the third highest after Chittoor and Krishna districts. Assistant director of horticulture, Vizianagaram, Jamadagni said harvesting has been completed in 60 per cent of the total hectares and this year it yielded four tons per hectare against the average of eight tons per hectare. On average the yield was much better than the previous year, he added.

''Not only trains but the fruits are also carried by various modes of road transport to various places in the country,’’ Jamadagni told this correspondent on Monday.

Other sources said nearly half of the harvested fruits were sent outside the state and the remaining was sold in the local markets of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and parts of Tamil Naidu.

The traders could fetch Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per ton from the north Indian markets, sources said.