Geographical Perspectives of Mango Production in India
India is a country of wide variability of climate and soils. Variable geological and geographical conditions existing in India are very much favourable for growing a large array of horticultural crops throughout the country. Mango is one of such vital fruit crops produced more or less all around the country. In the year 2010, the largest share of land devoted to mango cultivation was in India i. e. about 46.75 per cent, of mango producing countries of the world (i.e. 4946.36 thousand ha) The total production of mango in the world in the year 2010 was 37124.74 thousand tons with 40.48 per cent of Indian shares. In India, mango are mainly produced in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, etc. India is producing more than 1,500 varieties of mango, but only selected varieties are commercially grown here. A large size of the population in India is engaged in mango production, distribution and marketing etc. Mango production and related economic activities are providing employment to a large size of populations and helps in earning considerable amount of foreign capital. Horticulture of Mango may prove a crucial mean of livelihood and may also create skilled employment for rural masses in near future. The present paper highlights the spatio temporal patterns and trends of mango cultivation and also explains prevalent regional disparities in geographical perspectives