What they are

• Kinnow (Sirsa): A high-juice mandarin hybrid (King × Willow Leaf). Sirsa is Haryana’s dominant citrus district, accounting for roughly 50–55% of the state’s citrus area in long-run analyses.
  
• Mango (Fatehabad): North-Indian dessert mangoes (e.g., Dashehari) are cultivated in Fatehabad; peer-reviewed field work documents Dashehari orchards at Gillan Khera, Fatehabad (semi-arid zone).
  

Where they’re grown & local scale

• Sirsa & Fatehabad fruit base: Haryana’s official horticulture tables show sizable fruit cultivation footprints—Fatehabad ~14,458 ha / 363,681 MT and Sirsa ~1,752 ha / 39,645 MT in fruits (all fruits combined), underpinning aggregation and supply logistics for these commodities.
  

Seasonality & quality profile

• Kinnow harvest window (NW India): Optimal maturity mid-Jan to mid-Feb (commercial pick extends Dec–Mar depending on weather); widely used maturity index is TSS:acid around 12–14:1, aligned with Punjab Agricultural University guidance for the kinnow belt adjoining Haryana.
  
• Export-market grading baselines:
  
  • Mandarin/Kinnow follows UNECE FFV-14 (Citrus fruit)—classes (“Extra”, I, II), tolerances, sizing, and packing/marking.
    
  • Mango follows UNECE FFV-45 (Mangoes)—minimum weight (≥100 g), size codes A–D by weight, and marking requirements.
    

Region-specific strengths (why Sirsa & Fatehabad?)

• Technology & training: Sirsa hosts an Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Fruits at Mangiana, a government-run facility for canopy, fertigation, and post-harvest know-how—useful for Kinnow quality and packhouse readiness.
  
• Cluster & logistics: Haryana’s Crop Cluster Development Programme (CCDP) + FPO model expands packhouses, grading/sorting, reefer vans—reducing losses and standardizing export lots across districts (incl. Sirsa/Fatehabad).
  
• Market proximity: Both districts feed NCR and northern export gateways; kinnow from the belt typically flows to all-India markets and nearby cross-border buyers (e.g., Bangladesh) in peak season.
  

Export picture

• Mango (HS 080450): India exported US$154.2 million (111,759 t) in 2023, with a diversified destination mix (GCC, EU, etc.).
  
• Citrus overall (HS 0805): India exported ~US$25 million in 2023 (mandarins are a small slice of this total, i.e., niche volumes internationally).
  

Compliance & treatments

• Mango:
  
  • USA: mandatory irradiation (400 Gy) at NPPO-approved sites; APEDA SOP governs packhouse workflow and traceability.
    
  • Japan / South Korea: Vapour Heat Treatment (VHT) only at approved facilities; APEDA/DPPQS protocols and packhouse recognition apply.
    
• Mandarin/Kinnow: Conform to UNECE FFV-14 quality classes; buyers typically request Class I with uniform sizing and labeling as per the standard.
  

Practical specifications

• Sirsa Kinnow (fresh)
  
  • Grade target: UNECE Class I; near-round, clean rind, no mechanical damage; uniform coloring typical of mid-season pick.
    
  • Size: 60–80 mm (buyer to confirm); pack 10–15 kg CFB cartons with paper liners; pre-cool to ~5–7 °C; ship at ~5–7 °C, 90–95% RH. (Align with buyer specs; UNECE governs quality/marking.)
    
• Fatehabad Mango (fresh, e.g., Dashehari)
  
  • Grade target: UNECE Class I; harvest mature-green per variety; pack by weight code (FFV-45) in ventilated CFB; pre-cool (~12–13 °C for mature-green), then ripen at destination unless protocol dictates treatment first.
    

Opportunities

• Kinnow: Sirsa’s scale/know-how plus CoE support mean consistent mid-season volumes and access to trained growers—useful for private label and juice/fresh dual programs.
  
• Mango: Fatehabad producers can aggregate early-to-mid season North-Indian mangoes and route via APEDA-recognized packhouses for protocol markets (USA/EU/Japan/Korea) when paired with the right treatment logistics.
  

Caveats & mitigation

• Small ‘mandarin’ export base from India: Global mandarin trade is dominated by other origins; Indian kinnow exports remain modest, so programs should emphasize quality differentiation & shelf-life (waxing, fungicide dips, careful cold chain).
  
• Protocol bottlenecks for mango: Treatment slotting (VHT/irradiation) and MRL compliance must be booked early; use APEDA-recognized facilities and SOP checklists