Farmers’ recognition, greater market access and cold-storage facility issues took centre stage as political biggies united during the 18th Bharat Mango Festival in Delhi. In a rare display of bipartisan unity, leaders from both the ruling and opposition camps came together for the event. Organisers reported the presence of over 18 Union ministers, more than 200 Members of Parliament, and former President Ram Nath Kovind. The event, organised by Kanpur MP Ramesh Awasthi, was inaugurated by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
The festival traces its roots back 18 years to Awasthi’s initiative to give mango growers a national platform and link them with research, storage, and markets. In Delhi, it has routinely been opened by senior dignitaries, underscoring its institutional profile. This year, former President Ram Nath Kovind also attended.
Organisers said more than 350 mango varieties were exhibited, including Dasheri, Chausa, Alphonso, Banganpalli, Kesar, Safeda, Fazli, Neelam, and Mallika; the ‘Modi Mango’ was a consistent draw. A farmer honour programme recognised over 50 growers for contributions in production, innovation, and market linkages, and included addresses by ministers and MPs from across parties. Technical interactions paired cultivators with horticulture researchers and agricultural university teams on storage, cold-chain, grading, and export preparedness.
A millet-focused community lunch accompanied the exhibition, aligning with the Prime Minister’s Shree Anna push since the UN’s International Year of Millets. The format mirrored earlier public millet outreach where MPs and farmers interact informally over millet menus.
Ministers named in reports included BL Verma, Ramdas Athawale, Shripad Naik, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Bhagirath Choudhary, S P Singh Baghel, Virendra Kumar, Savitri Thakur, Prataprao Jadhav, Rajbhushan Chaudhary, Harsh Malhotra, Token Sahu, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Ramnath Thakur, Ajay Tamta, Durga Das, Nimuben Patel, and Anurag Thakur.