The aam aadmi of Malihabad

Abdullah Nursery is also credited with creating new varieties of mangoes. A single 92-year-old tree, thanks to special “kalams” or grafts, produces nearly 300 varieties. The tree is called Ambul Amba Zaid, which is Mother of Mangoes in Arabic, so named by a visiting sheikh from Dubai.Nazmi and his nursery do not conform to the image of the typical agriculturist in Uttar Pradesh, often portrayed as an isolated entity who has little idea of developments elsewhere. Nazmi is enthusiastic about the “Japanese who visited two days ago. They said export restrictions on mangoes from India will be lifted by the US and Japan”. That is very good news as henceforth “bumper mango crops won’t be bad news, as they are now. We would do good business then and get a good price from exports”, he says.

India accounts for more than half of the mangoes produced worldwide, but is only the third largest exporter. Trade restrictions and lack of post-harvest facilities, far too many intermediaries in the retail chain, disease and pests have all contributed to making the life of the mango grower tough. Says Nazmi, “Several crates of Indian mangoes were returned by China as the core of the fruit was found to be too soft and there was also concern about pesticide content.”

So who will Nazmi vote for? How agriculturists like him decide who to vote for depends on several factors. The incumbent Samajwadi Party is accused of compounding the desperate power crisis in the state. “Using diesel instead of power means huge costs. We are paying Rs 975 per month anyway to the Electricity Department as a fixed payment,” says Nazmi.

Meanwhile, there is overall appreciation of the NDA’s efforts to improve roads under the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna. “Atal Behari Vajpayee loved our mangoes and had also instituted special charter flights that lifted mangoes out from here. But till export restrictions are lifted completely, there is not much use of that,” says Nazmi.

However, statements like these on who has done how much are often only part of the story as far as the owners of orchards are concerned. Says Nazmi: “We sit down just before the polls and decide who would be the best candidate for us”. And this aam aadmi in Malihabad votes tomorrow.