Bankura: Bankura district was once known for Maoists. Today it is famous for producing Mandarin oranges - the variety that put Nagpur on the global citrus map – and Alphonso mangoes.
How did a slice of Maharashtra displace the revolution in Bengal’s Maoist heartland? After all, this was the district that not too long ago was known for the presence of Kishenji, a member of the Politburo and central military commission of the banned CPI (Maoist).
This is where civil society and the local government came together and started a scheme to turn this barren district into a productive agricultural region. ‘Mission Bankura’ was initiated under NREGA and agricultural experts trained locals to cultivate cash crops like Mango, grapes and oranges.
“The land in Bankura is not fertile but we have adopted soil processing and it is now yielding results. No one ever imagined that Bankura will one day produce these iconic fruits,” Bankura MLA Shampa Daripa told News18. “We have started exporting these fruits to foreign countries. This community initiative has changed the livelihood of the tribal people living here.”
A self help group was formed to cultivate the fruits and over the months managed to grow fine varieties of mangoes and oranges. The district also grows ambrapali and mallika mangoes. Of the profits from the fruit trade 60% goes to the SHG, 30% to the land owner and the remaining to the gram panchayat.
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