
Mango ‘Kavach': Butter paper brings better harvest, but leaves pockets bitter
In a year when infestations have plagued mango orchards across Uttar Pradesh, Singh's harvest looks promising. He is among a small group of farmers, less than 1% across the state, who use butter paper bagging to protect their fruits. The practice, though effective, has not gained traction widely, mainly due to cost.
While thousands of farmers across Uttar Pradesh struggle with pest infestations and unpredictable weather, Singh remains calm. His solution? A simple, ₹2 paper bag wrapped around each mango. This method, known as butter paper bagging or 'Kavach', has turned into a lifeline for a handful of farmers, but its cost is proving to be a bitter barrier for many.
According to the Uttar Pradesh horticulture department, while the state has nearly 3 lakh mango growers, just over 2,000 have adopted the butter paper bags. Singh, also the general secretary of the Awadh Mango Producer Horticulture Committee, began using makeshift brown paper bags before the proper ones were available. Today, he uses the specially designed Kavach bags, being promoted by ICAR-Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR-CISH) in Lucknow.
Mango growers across UP are battling two destructive pests this season, the fruit borer and the semi-looper, that have severely affected varieties like Dussehri and Chausa. 'My orchard saw severe losses this year,' said Md Qamar, another farmer from Malihabad. 'It's impossible for small farmers to cover every mango when each bag costs ₹2.'
Apart from the cost of the bag, an additional 50 to 75 paise goes into manually tying each one. For large orchards, the expenses multiply quickly. 'I have spoken to mandi officials and the Commissioner, urging for subsidies,' said Insram Ali, president of the All India Mango Growers' Association. 'The results of bagging are excellent. But without financial support, it's out of reach for most.'
Ali is hopeful that a decision on subsidy support will come soon.
Doubling income, but few takers
According to ICAR-CISH director T Damodaran, the returns from bagged mangoes far outweigh the input costs. 'Bagged mangoes can fetch twice the profit. For every tonne of bagged mangoes, farmers can earn an additional ₹15,000 to ₹20,000. For premium quality, this goes up to ₹30,000.'
Yet adoption remains low. The challenge lies not just in awareness but also in affordability. To address this, a Kavach manufacturing unit has been set up on Kursi Road in Lucknow under ICAR-CISH incubation, he informed.
The factory is operated by Meta Agri Tech Pvt Ltd, led by Sujit Singh, and Mayank Singh. 'Our machine can make 2.5 to 4.5 bags per minute. We have already supplied over 50 lakh bags to farmers in Lucknow, Unnao, Sitapur, Hardoi, and more,' said Sujit. 'We aim to reach farmers in the Chausa belt of West UP and the Langda region of Varanasi.'
However, the cost remains high due to the raw material, a special Kaolin-coated paper, being imported from Taiwan and Japan. 'If it were available in India, the price would come down,' said Singh.
According to Damodaran, 'These bags act as a shield against pests, sunburn, dust, and sudden storms. This year's pest outbreak could have been avoided if more farmers had used Kavach.'
Despite clear benefits, the high upfront cost keeps most farmers away. 'The quality difference is visible,' said Singh. 'But unless the cost drops or subsidy comes in, it will remain a choice for a few.'
In the orchards of Malihabad, Singh looks at his ripening fruits. They glisten inside their protective covers, safe, healthy, and ready for the market. For now, the Kavach remains both a shield and a challenge.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Uttar Pradesh paves the way for greener rural roads with plastic waste recycling
Uttar Pradesh has achieved a 'major breakthrough' in eco-friendly rural road construction by recycling 1,400 metric tonnes of plastic waste, saving over 90 lakh tonnes of stone aggregates and reducing diesel consumption by seven lakh litres under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-3 (2019-2025) The Uttar Pradesh Rural Roads Development Agency (UPRRDA) is implementing this initiative across 35 districts, covering 171 routes with a total length of over 1121 km. (FOR REPRESENTATION) These measures had not only lowered construction costs by around 15%, but also significantly cut down the state's carbon footprint, UP Rural Road Road Development Agency (UPRRDA) chief executive officer Akhand Pratap Singh claimed. So far, 690 tonnes of single-use plastic waste have been used in the renovation of 605.79 km roads, improving durability and contributing to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The Uttar Pradesh Rural Roads Development Agency (UPRRDA) is implementing this initiative across 35 districts, covering 171 routes with a total length of over 1121 km. Four advanced eco-friendly technologies are being employed to enhance road quality and lifespan. Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who heads the rural development department, has held several meetings with officials recently to assess the impact of technology and plan further innovations. 'Marking a first in the state, we have adopted Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) technology to build roads by reusing old road layers without the need for new stones. Instead of excavating fresh materials, roads are reconstructed by pulverizing existing layers and stabilizing them using commercial chemical additives, resulting in faster construction and an impermeable base with an estimated life of 15 to 20 years,' Singh explained. In addition to FDR, UPRRDA has deployed four new green technologies for road construction and maintenance that enhance durability while being environmentally responsible. Among the most impactful is the use of shredded waste plastic in bituminous concrete, which has been implemented across 1,121 kilometers in 30 districts. 'This method blends about 8% plastic waste with heated aggregates before mixing with bitumen, providing stronger roads and effectively recycling plastic that would otherwise pollute the environment,' Singh explained. The state has also introduced cold mix technology, now used in 306 kilometres across 9 districts. This technique enables road laying without heating bitumen, drastically reducing fuel use and emissions while delivering higher pavement strength compared to traditional hot mixes. Another innovation is the Cement Grouted Bituminous Mix (CGBM), which has been applied to 282 kilometers in 12 districts. 'This approach involves injecting a special cement-based grout into low-percentage bitumen mixes to create a water-resistant, long-lasting surface that doesn't deform under load or moisture, helping conserve both bitumen and aggregate,' he said. FDR involves reusing the existing road structure (old bituminous layers and aggregates) instead of excavating and transporting fresh materials from quarries. 'Since no new stone aggregate needs to be mined, transported, or processed, there is a drastic reduction in fuel consumption, particularly diesel, which is otherwise used extensively in heavy machinery and trucks for loading, hauling, and laying fresh materials,' another senior UPRRDA official DD Pathak said. 'Conventional road construction requires heating bitumen and aggregates, which consumes large amounts of diesel in hot mix plants,' he added. The cold mix technologies used by UPRRDA—such as Cold Mix BC and MSS+ with Cold Bitumen—eliminate the need for heating bitumen. As a result, there is a direct saving of diesel that would have been burned in heating units or boilers. 'Together, these changes led to the saving of about 7 lakh litres of diesel during the construction of over 6,000 km of rural roads in Uttar Pradesh under PMGSY-3,' Pathak claimed.

The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
DU ready for 1st batch of final-year FYUP students: V-C
With over 70% of third-year students opting to complete the elective Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh said all arrangements are in place to welcome the first batch of FYUP students into the fourth year on August 1. 'So far, 20,221 students out of over 72,000 have opted out of the FYUP, which means more than 50,000 students will continue with the course,' the V-C told The Hindu. Over concerns about required infrastructure and workload of existing teachers, Mr. Singh said, 'We are well-prepared to commence the fourth year, and there should be no issues. Principals are making arrangements, and senior teachers will be taking the fourth-year classes.' The FYUP, under National Education Policy 2020, was adopted by DU in 2022, allows a student to receive a certificate after completing one year, a diploma after two years, a graduate degree after the third year, and a graduate degree with a research specialisation after the fourth year. However, some of theteachers say that the colleges neither have an adequate teaching and non-teaching staff nor the necessary infrastructure for fourth-year students. Rajesh Jha, a professor at Rajdhani College, said, 'Preparations are under way but there are no additional classrooms and teachers. We have to take the fourth-year classes either early in the morning or late in the evening.' Raising similar concerns, Astha Ahuja, a professor at Aryabhatta College, said, 'We are still struggling to finalise the timetable as there is a lack of teaching staff.'


News18
3 days ago
- News18
Govt Employees Eligible For 30 Days Earned Leave For Elderly Parent Care: Centre To Rajya Sabha
In addition to earned leave, Singh said that employees are also entitled to 20 days of half-pay leave, eight days of casual leave, and two restricted holidays per year. His written response came in reply to a query on whether government employees have any provisions to take leave specifically for the care of aged parents. 'The Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 provide for 30 days of earned leave, 20 days of half-pay leave, eight days of casual leave, and two restricted holidays per annum, apart from other eligible leave to a Central government employee, which can be availed for any personal reasons, including that of taking care of elderly parents," Singh said. Understanding the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972 The Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, which came into effect on June 1, 1972, regulate leave for most government employees—excluding railway staff and members of the All India Services, who follow separate rules. Different Types of Leave Offered Under the service rules, there are different kinds of leaves, such as earned leave, half-day leave, commuted leave, leave not due, extraordinary leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, child care leave, study leave, special disability leave, seamen's sick leave, hospital leave, and departmental leave. Leave is credited in advance to a government servant's 'Leave Account" on January 1 and July 1 each year. It is then debited when leave is availed. Some special kinds of leave are not debited from the account.