TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT PRODUCTION IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA

S.K. Mitra, P.K. Pathak
The state of West Bengal is located between 21.03 and 27.01°N latitude and 85.05 and 89.0°E longitude. It covers an area of 8.85 million ha, representing only 2.7% of the total area of the country. Agriculture in West Bengal contributes 25% of the state GDP and employs 57% of the total work force. Horticultural crops cover 26% of the net cultivated area in the state. There is a wide diversity of horticultural crops grown in West Bengal. Important fruit crops are mango (72,000 ha), pineapple (13,500 ha), banana (28,500 ha), citrus (10,200 ha), litchi (7,200 ha), guava (10,600 ha) and papaya (7,600 ha). Apart from these, a number of less economically important fruits like jackfruit, sapota, water apple, rose apple, pomegranate, ber, bael, Jamun, etc. are also grown to meet local demand.
The Government of India has created three agri-export zones for mango, litchi and pineapple in West Bengal and has launched the mega project ‘National Horti¬culture Mission’ focusing on area expansion, improvement of productivity and quality, economic efficiency and trade. The Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, Government of India, has also launched a micro-irrigation project in which many orchards will be covered with drip and sprinkler irrigation. The Government of West Bengal formed the Agriculture Commission and the commission has already sub¬mitted its interim report in which it highlighted several programmes for development of fruit cultivation and production in the state.
Mitra, S.K. and Pathak, P.K. (2013). TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUIT PRODUCTION IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA. Acta Hortic. 975, 309-313
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.975.37
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.975.37
banana, guava, litchi, mango, pineapple, tropical and subtropical fruits
English

Acta Horticulturae