Bhagalpur, May 14: Bihar Agriculture University (BAU), Sabour, recently held a seminar to strategise promotion and marketing of the Jardalu variety of mangoes.

The university lambasted the government's lackadaisical attitude towards promoting the rare variety produced in some parts of eastern Bihar. Bihar Mango Growers' Federation general secretary Randhir Choudhary, however, blamed the university and the government for their failure to promote the variety.

"Chief minister Nitish Kumar takes keen interest in the Jardalu variety that is sent to the President, Prime Minister and other senior dignitaries in New Delhi as part of gifts from Bihar," he said. "But Jardalu is not yet popular in the markets because of lack of seriousness among the officials concerned."

Randhir said the federation was the brainchild of former BAU vice-chancellor M.L. Choudhary, who had taken initiatives to promote the variety in 2014. "In 2015, a few of the federation members with support from BAU, initiated plans to promote and market Jardalu in different parts of the country," Randhir added. "But since there was no cooperation from government agencies, we had to face heavy loss and harassment."

Farmer Ashok Choudhary, better known as the "Mango man of Bihar" (the Bihar government had conferred him with the Mango Sri award in 2012), said the rare variety should be promoted in international markets.

"A poor mango farmer in Bihar cannot be a flag-bearer without the government's active patronage," he said. "Alphonso could be promoted because the government backed the variety. Jardalu should get the same treatment."

Randhir urged BAU experts to modify the Jardalu variety of mangoes in a manner in which other fruits are promoted in the international markets.