The Punjab Government plans to embark on an "aggressive" campaign to promote the health benefits of kinnow mandarin consumption ahead of the season that starts in December, the Business Standard reported.

Punjab horticulture mission director Gurkanwal Singh Sahota told the publication growers tended to receive INR8-10 (US$0.13-0.17) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) for kinnows, while the end price could be six to 10 times that amount; it is hoped that greater demand for the fruit would give farmers more negotiating power.

The story reported Punjab had the highest area of kinnow production in the country at 46,000 hectares, with the surface area dedicated to the crop rising by about 2,200 hectares each year. Production in 2013-14 stood at 988,000 metric tons (MT).

A key driver for the move cited by the story is an "alarming fall" in the water table due to paddy-wheat crop rotation, which has pushed the state to look for ways to diversify crops.

Photo: Sir Sadiq, via Wikimedia Creative Commons

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