The Department of Food Processing Industry and Horticulture, Government of West Bengal, announced the celebration of the “Bengal Fruit & Food Festival” which will be highlighting exotic fruits, regional produce, and diverse culinary delights. The event is inspired by Mamata Banerjee, Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal. The absence of this Department’s customary mid-June “Mango Mela” gives rise to this unusual celebration. June is considered mango season, but it was not possible to hold “Mango Mela” in June 2024 due to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the recently finished Parliamentary Election.

This three-day spectacle, which is set to take place in Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium from August 9 to 11, 2024, promises to be a colorful celebration of Bengal’s rich horticulture legacy and culinary diversity. In addition to showcasing a variety of exotic fruits, the festival seeks to provide guests with a great culinary experience.

The inauguration ceremony will take place on August 9, 2024. It will be graced by eight ministers of various Departments and Shri Arup Roy, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, FPI&H Deptt.

The list of Hon’ble Ministers:

1.      Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Agriculture Deptt. – Chief Guest

2.      Shri Moloy Ghatak, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Judicial, Labour, Law Deptt.- Spl. Guest

3.      Shri Pradip Kr. Mazumdar, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Panchayat & Rural Dev. Deptt. & Cooperation Deptt. – Spl. Guest

4.      Shri Biplab Mitra, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Consumer Affairs Deptt. – Spl. Guest

5.      Shri Swapan Debnath, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Animal Resource Development Deptt. – Spl. Guest

6.      Md. Ghulam Rabbani, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Environment Deptt. – Spl. Guest

7.      Shri Biplab Roychowdhury, Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C), Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resources and Fishing Harbour Deptt. – Spl. Guest

8.      Shri Becharam Manna, Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C)- Agriculture Marketing Deptt. – Spl. Guest.

The festival will also feature captivating cultural programs each evening by eminent artists like Shri Swapan Basu- Folk Singer, Smt. Pranati Thakur- Reciter, Shri Satinath Mukhopadhyay- Reciter, Shri Soumi Ghosh- versatile singer, Shri Alok Roy Chowdhury- singer, etc.

Special events during the Bengal Fruit & Food Festival include:

        9th August, 2024: Audience Quiz.

        10th August 2024: Panel Discussion: “Steps to Enhance Horticultural Crop Cultivation in Response to Climate Change and Food Processing,”.

        11th August, 2024: Cooking Competition.

This event will celebrate diversity in fruits and cuisine.

Priyanka Dutta