For higher profits, some farmers began cultivating the world’s most expensive mango — the Miyazaki — on an experimental basis three years ago.
Karimnagar: Farmers in Jagtial district, who once cultivated popular mango varieties like Banganpalli, Kesari, Himayat, Totapuri, Chinna Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, Suvarnarekha, Neelam, and Cheruku Rasam, are now shifting to the rare and high-value Miyazaki mangoes. The shift comes as local varieties fail to fetch expected prices. Currently, Banganpalli mangoes sell for around ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per tonne, with top-quality produce reaching ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 per tonne.
For higher profits, some farmers began cultivating the world’s most expensive mango — the Miyazaki — on an experimental basis three years ago. This premium variety commands prices between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹3 lakh per kg.
It is in high demand not only in Japan and California but also in various other parts of the world due to its unique taste and nutritional benefits.
By importing a few saplings from California, some of the farmers in Jagtial district started cultivating the fruit.
Juvvadi Satyanarayana Rao from Sankenapalli village of Velgatoor mandal, Md. Yousuf from Chalgal village of Jagtial rural mandal and Bandari Venu Gopal Rao from Ramannapet village of Maliala mandal are among those who started growing Miyazaki mangoes.
Satyanarayana Rao, speaking to Deccan Chronicle, said that he was happy to see that the five plants he cultivated have started giving 3 to 4 fruits this year after a great care taken by him and his wife. “We even covered the fruits with the plastic covers so that they are not visible to others, especially the monkeys,” he said.
District horticulture officer G. Shyam Prasad told Deccan Chronicle that he inspected the plants and it is a good sign that the variety is acclimatised to the local conditions as the environmental conditions in Japan and India are not similar.
The fruits are rich red in colour and are of high quality. Each fruit weighs approximately half a kg. It is also rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins A, C, E and K making it a healthy choice and is scientifically proven.
It is to be noted here that the Centre identified Jagtial district as an export zone in 2022. However, the operations have not started till date. The mango farmers urged the government to speed up implementation of designated export zone works and secure Geographical Indication (GI) tag for all the mango varieties including the Miyazaki that are cultivated in Jagtial district.
Once processed and subjected to all necessary quality tests and government permissions, the mangoes grown in Jagtial can be exported to various countries which will not only boost their income but also will give global recognition for Jagtial mangoes, they opined.
