The three-day Uttar Pradesh Mango Festival-2026 concluded at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here on Sunday, with the state government reiterating its focus on boosting mango exports and farmers’ income.

The closing ceremony of the UP Mango Festival at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, in Lucknow on Sunday. (HT)

Minister of state (independent charge) for horticulture, agricultural marketing, agricultural foreign trade, and agricultural export, Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was the chief guest, distributed prizes to winners of various competitions and said the festival aimed to enhance farmers’ income while securing global recognition for Uttar Pradesh’s mangoes.

“Currently, mangoes from Uttar Pradesh are being exported to more than 30 countries, and the upcoming Jewar International Airport is expected to reduce export costs. The ‘paper bagging’ technique is also being promoted to improve fruit quality by reducing the impact of pesticides,” he said.

He added that the establishment of the Horticulture Export Promotion Board has helped develop a network of more than 3,000 domestic exporters. To encourage investment in the food processing sector, subsidies ranging from 35% to 50% are being provided under the Uttar Pradesh Food Processing Industry Policy-2023.

A total of 147 awards were distributed across various mango categories and competition classes. Mohammad Iqbal Ahmed from Malihabad received the ‘Best Exhibitor’ award.

A total of 3,032 samples were displayed by 1,501 participants at the festival, an increase of about 6% over the previous year.

Additional chief secretary (horticulture and food processing) BL Meena, special secretary Rajkamal Yadav, and director of horticulture Bhanuprakash Ram were among those present.