Buy mangoes directly from Konkan farmers at a week-long kairi festival

A farmer picks mangoes at an orchard in Ratnagiri. Pic/Sameer Markande

In early April, we quizzed a city chef on the lack of mango dishes on his menu. The reason, the chef informed us, was that the ones available in the market were artificially ripened.

If you too are worried about your favourite fruit being chemically treated and hence compromised on its flavour, Global Kokan Mango Festival 2018 might be a good place to find the real deal. The week-long festival has been organised by Kokan Bhumi Pratishthan (KBP), an NGO that works on the development of the coastal region, Nehru Science Centre and Ministry of Cultural Affairs, along with Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The intent is to offer a direct market to farmers, and create awareness about genuine Konkan mangoes, especially the Alphonso. Nearly 15 key farmer co-operative associations from Devgadh, Ratnagiri and Kelshi, and Ratnavasundhara and Sindhudurg Farmer Producer Association representing 100 farm owners, will ensure that only naturally ripened, authentic mangoes are on sale.

Sanjay Yadavpur

"There is a high demand for the Alphonso in Mumbai. It has been a delicacy for years but because of carbide-ripened mangoes, the original taste has been forgotten. Not only are these mangoes harmful for consumption, they also adversely affect genuine farmers who work around the year to produce the crop, as they ruin the credibility of the original due to poor quality," says Sanjay Yadavrao, founder and chairman of KBP. Yadavrao tells us that the produce at the exhibition will have naturally ripened mangoes that are true to the original taste, fragrance and colour.

"The flesh of the Alphonso is saffron in colour, whereas the Alphonso from other areas is yellow. Cultivated near the sea and backwaters, it's a thin-skinned variety. The ones coming from Dharwad (Karnataka) or Valsad (Gujarat) can be differentiated by their thick skin. Konkan has virgin laterite soil, which is rich in iron. The fruit has been grown in the region for 250 years," explains Yadavrao.

An exhibition of 35 different mangoes will make for an engaging stop, while for those interested to look at the fruit as a business idea, a seminar on mango cultivation and farming technology and global exports will be held. Yadavrao tells us that due to climatic changes, and the tendency of the Alphonso to yield a bigger crop on alternate years, the yield this year is just 25 per cent of the usual, so this festival will be a good opportunity for Mumbaikars to buy authentic Alphonsos directly from farmers. "Its yield is one-tenth of other fruits, hence the high cost," he adds. Pirie, Kesar and Ratna varieties will also be on sale.

Know your mango
Alphonso: The agricultural bodies and farmer organisations of the state are currently in a bid to get a GI tag for the Konkan Alphonso. Known as the king of fruits, the mango from this region has a thin skin and is saffron in colour. It has the right balance of sweet and sour.
Pirie: It is a juicy variety of mango that is popular to make juice and aamras with due to its sweet taste and texture.
Kesar: This mango is known for its sweet taste and bright colour.
Ratna: A hybrid of Alphonso, though not as tasty, it's bigger in size. A single fruit of Alphonso weighs 250gm to 300gm, Ratna weighs 500gm to 1kg.

Till May 8, 10 am to 8 pm
AT Nehru Science Centre, Worli.
call 24964676

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