Krishnagiri, Kolar: In the 2007 Tamil superhit, Pokkiri, the protagonist Tamizh compares his lover Shruti to a mango. Not the prized Alphonso, but the classic South Indian variety Malgova, which is grown in the Salem region of Tamil Nadu. Its aroma— redolent of a summer on the cusp of monsoon—and sweetness makes it one of the more popular varieties of the king of fruits in the southern region. But it rarely gets acknowledged in the list of well-known mangoes of Alphonso-obsessed India.
Indians ordered around Rs 60 lakh worth of mangoes a day in April on Zepto. Alphonso topped the list. And now, it is even going to be tagged with a GI (Geographical Indication) label. Like everything about South India – politics, culture, cuisine – the story mangoes isn’t mainstream either, not ‘aam’ so to speak.
Lesser-known varieties are being muscled out of popular national consumption by heavyweights like Alphonso from the Konkan belt, Kesar from Saurashtra, and Langra from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Even the popular Badami is often reduced to ‘Karnataka’s Alphonso’. Such is Alphonso’s pride of place that India and the United States signed an Alphonso-Harley Davidson deal in 2007—a year before the nuclear deal.
But the South has a dizzying variety of mangoes: Banganapalli, Mallika, Neelam, Totapuri, Raspuri, Moovandan, Malgova, Amlet, and Panchadara Kalasa are just some of the mangoes that contribute to a thriving industry in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. An estimated 34 varieties are grown in Andhra Pradesh alone, according to mango farmers, while the Srinivaspur belt in Karnataka’s Kolar is known for 63 varieties.
Many like the tangy Totapuri and the sweet Banganapalli are exported to the UAE, the UK, Oman, and other countries. But lesser-known varieties like Andhra Pradesh’s Panchadara Kalasa, Karnataka’s Amlet, and Kerala’s Moovandan are consumed locally, making their way into local cuisine, primarily in pickles and curries, the recipes of which are passed down from generation to generation.
Alphonso mangoes from the western belt—Maharashtra and Gujarat—dominate 70 per cent of the market. They also form the bulk of exports. But it is the South Indian mangoes such as Totapuri, Imam Pasand, Banganapalli, and Senthoora that are used for pulp manufacturing in domestic and international markets.
Anjanappa K, who runs Kempegowda Mango Farm in Karnataka’s Gauribidanur town, doesn’t quite understand the fuss over Alphonso.
“It’s a high-maintenance crop. Also, the Alphonso season gets over faster than others. In Karnataka, the Badami variety has more demand even though it is considered the same as Alphonso. The taste differs because the soil, water and growing conditions are very different from that of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra,” he said.
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Raspuri, Totapuri, Banganapalli
Hundreds of farmers across Karnataka have arrived at the much-awaited annual Lalbagh Botanical Garden mango mela with crates laden with different varieties to sell directly to consumers.
Karnataka has 700 varieties and produces around 8 lakh tonnes of mangoes every year. Of this, around $180,000 worth of Banganapalli mangoes and $90,000 worth of Alphonso from the state were exported to the UAE, the UK, and Oman. But most of the produce is consumed locally.
And the state capital, Bengaluru, displays its love for the fruit during the mango mela – not in May, which is the peak season for the Alphonso, but for 10 days from the first week of June. This year, the date had to be postponed because of the state elections.
Sixty-six-year-old Jayanagar resident, Manjunath, is one of the first customers. Soon after his morning walk at Lalbagh, he hurried to the mela and went home with three kg of mangoes.
“I wanted to get Raspuri mangoes, I have grown up eating them,” he said. They are from his hometown of Kolar, about 65 km from Bengaluru. The arid region of Srinivaspur in Kolar is one of Karnataka’s largest mango-growing belts.
An equally popular variety is the Totapuri, which thrives in South India. Instead of aam ras and poori (mango puree with deep-fried bread), street vendors sell slices of the green Totapuri dusted with salt and chili powder. It’s named after the parrot (tota in Hindi) because the shape of the mango resembles its beak. About 3 to 4 lakh tonnes of the mango variety are cultivated in Tamil Nadu. And most of it is crushed to pulp in Krishnagiri’s factories.
“Neelam and Totapuri are almost a must in all farms. Out of 10 seasons, almost eight will be a hit. With other varieties, it’s just around 50 per cent in sales,” said Anjaneya Reddy, a 70-year-old farmer from Chinthamani in Chikkaballapur district.
Across the border in Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas Reddy, a trader at Andhra Pradesh’s Nunna market near Vijayawada, is set to pick the best variety of mangoes from the farmers who arrive every evening with their produce.
The locally grown mangoes are exported to Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. One of the most sought-after exports is the sweet Banganapalli. The price can even shoot up to Rs 40,000 per tonne, when demand exceeds supply.
“What’s special about Andhra Pradesh is that every region has a different variety and most are consumed locally. Godavari region grows Panchadara Kalasa, Chittoor region has Romania mangoes, Krishna belt has Chinna Rasalu. Then there is Sundari variety in the Tuni region, which is also sent to states such as Odisha,” Reddy added.
An estimated 34 varieties of mangoes are grown in the state, especially in the Krishna belt’s Nuzividu region, which is not too far from the Nunna market. Reportedly, around two lakh farmers from this region depend on mango cultivation.
In 2019, Andhra Pradesh emerged as the largest producer of mangoes in India with a record production of 51 lakh metric tonnes. But the pandemic and unprecedented climate conditions hurt the mango production, which saw a lull in the last two years.
“And of course, over the last decade some of them (mango farmers) moved to palm oil cultivation or so—that also contributed to a slight drop in mango production. But it is picking up now,” Reddy said.
Home delivery
Farmers are experimenting with different ways to increase revenue and expand their customer base. Small growers are reaching out directly to retail buyers while others are experimenting with juice, extracts and squash, demand for which is rising.
About 370 kms north-east of Kolar in Anupinakatte village of Shivamogga district in Karnataka’s Malnad region, Mamun Raheel, a career pharmacist and mango farmer, is busy fulfilling online orders on his own website he started taking in April for the mangoes he grows, which he sells under the brand, ‘Malnad Mangoes’. He grows Mallika, Badami and Dasheri, a pint-sized fruit, also known as ‘cup-Mango’, that is from Uttar Pradesh.
He grows around 14 tonnes of produce every year and delivers them to homes directly. Most of his clients live in the region and a few are in Bengaluru, but his operations are limited to Karnataka.
“We don’t cater to bulk orders but just 5 kg boxes. When the birds start eating the fruits, we know it’s harvest time,” Raheel said. He moved out of the state’s Mango Board website and created his own as the restrictions on the government-controlled site acted as a hurdle to his business. Farmers like Raheel say they get the best profit when they sell their produce directly to buyers.
“Our profits are more than 100 percent. But when it’s processed into pulp, profits come down to around 40 percent,” said RN Prasad, the director of the Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO) from Channapatna.
Last year, the FPO began selling squash and pulp extracted from Kesar mangoes and is now considering the export route. It’s looking for a local partner who can export mango pulp to the UK.
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Demand for mango pulp
A similar trend of selling mango to make pulp is unfolding in Tamil Nadu as well. Around 111 kilometers away from Salem—which is the mango growing region in Tamil Nadu—farmers in the border district of Krishnagiri have been focusing on producing mangoes that are used in pulp (Totapuri, Kesar, Badami and others). Unlike in Salem, here farmers are more inclined towards giving a major share of their produce to juice factories that are located in the district.
At present, there are around 17 operational pulp factories in Krishnagiri. The district which is the border area where Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh meet sees a large chunk of its produce catering to European and Gulf countries.
“There is a minimum standard specification which is required for pulp production. Sugar content has to be 14 percent, and the colour specification for the pulp is also given,” said Krishnagiri mango processors association, President and MLA of Bargur, D Mathiazhagan.
When it comes to exports, mango pulp and other by-products are more profitable than fresh fruit as their shelf life can be up to two years. Gamma rays are used to increase the shelf life of the fruit but even with that, they only last for two to three weeks, said Mathiazhagan.
But unless a good crop is guaranteed, running a factory can be a losing proposition. It costs a minimum of Rs 10-12 crore to set up a pulp factory, with just four to five months of operational period. The factories have to run at full capacity to survive. Uncertain rain and the fallout of climate change has affected the quality of yield.
“Krishnagiri has had 80 per cent excess summer rains this year and this led to the mango absorbing more water and the fruit becoming less sugary. The colour of the fruit is also affected,” Mathiazhagan added. Of the four lakh tonnes of mangoes that reach pulp factories, only half will be usable yield.
This in turn affects the factory output, and many are forced to close their doors. A few years ago, there were as many as 60 factories.
Among farmers in Salem who depend on wholesalers and exports, there is a growing demand for the government to set up pulp factories in the district. “Those farmers who want to supply to pulp factories in Krishnagiri or Dharmapuri have to take up the freight expenses and labour expenses, and the buying rate is also much lesser than retail rate, which leads to a loss,” said Srinivasan.
According to Mathiazhagan, Tamil Nadu used to export 70 per cent of its mango produce five years ago. Today, most of the produce is used up in domestic markets. If the state grows 3 lakh tonnes of mangoes in a season, only one lakh tonnes are exported.
Every summer, the scent of ripening mangoes in Salem’s orchards hangs heavily in the air. Imam Pasand, Banganapalli and Nadusalai (also known as Peter) are some of the popular varieties grown here.
In South India, Alphonso is not the king. South Indian mangoes need more love, that’s all.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)