Aalirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): Farmer Yuvraj Singh Rathore of Chhota Undwa village in Alirajpur district won top honours at the Mango Festival 2026 held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, for cultivating a wide range of premium mango varieties.
Rathore grows and conserves around 140 nationally and internationally renowned mango varieties on his farm and sells produce worth Rs 20 to 22 lakh annually in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh.
He credited his grandfather, a traditional farmer with a passion for nature, for inspiring his interest in mango cultivation.
He later adopted scientific farming practices with technical guidance from scientists at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agricultural University and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
He also mentors fellow farmers and encourages young people to adopt modern agricultural techniques.
At the festival, Rathore won first prizes for the Fazli, Romani, Noorjahan, Rajapuri, Kesar, Manohari and Hapus varieties and secured second prize for the Chausa variety.
Uttar Pradesh Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh presented the awards.
The District Administration and Agriculture Department congratulated Rathore, saying his achievement would inspire more farmers to adopt scientific and modern farming practices.
