Lucknow, Jun 2 (IANS): The mango belt in Lucknow and its adjoining areas, including Malihabad, Unnao, and Rae Bareli, will be developed as a mango cluster under the Central government's Cluster Development Programme.

Additional Chief Secretary, Horticulture and Food Processing, Manoj Kumar said that the programme is being operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

"The programme will help tremendously in developing the potential of mango cultivation in the state and improve the earning capacity of farmers. We will be covering more than 20,000 hectare of mango orchards under it," he said.

Focusing on farmers' welfare and empowerment, it will provide a commercial angle to mango production, create necessary pre-production, production and post-harvest infrastructure, improve international competitiveness, reducie reliance on imports, and increase exports.

Under the programme, the government will ensure good quality planting material by development of nurseries, adoption of improved variety of mangoes, integrated pest management, orchard management, prudent use of chemicals, proper storage of harvest, grading, processing and packaging, and use of technology to enhance efficiency.

It will also include capacity building programmes to train farmers.