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This Week in AsiaEconomics

Indians know the Alphonso is the ‘king of mangoes’. If only they could buy some

  • A good-natured Twitter debate has reaffirmed the Maharashtra-grown variety’s cult status among lovers of India’s national fruit
  • But amid the country’s lockdown, farmers are sitting on tonnes of rotting fruit, unable to export them or get them to hungry local customers

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The Alphonso mango enjoys cult status among the country’s mango aficionados. Photo: AFP
Vasudevan Sridharan
Madhav Lele is sitting on a stockpile of well-ripened Alphonso mangoes harvested from his two 16-hectare orchards in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. He’s been following a good-natured Twitter debate about which mango variety is the best – but he is unsure whether the well-documented appetite for the Alphonso will be of any help in selling its fruits.
India’s “mango madness” season stretches from late March to July as different varieties of the fruit come into season. But it looks increasingly likely that India’s national lockdown – put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 – will extend well beyond the scheduled deadline of May 3, making it difficult for thousands of farmers like Lele to get their produce to customers.

Of the 1,500-odd varieties of mangoes cultivated in India, the Alphonso is perhaps the most popular, and enjoys cult status among the country’s mango aficionados. But that didn’t stop a Twitter infographic from highlighting an easy-going, age-old rivalry among Indians over where their allegiances lie when it comes to the fruit’s regional varieties.

The Langra and Dasheri varieties, both grown in Uttar Pradesh, and the Kesar breed from Gujarat put up a decent fight, but the Alphonso, from the state of Maharashtra, emerged a clear winner. The variety is known for its golden saffron-coloured flesh, delicate pulp, rich, creamy texture and succulent taste.

Of course there were some oblique tweets asserting that the Alphonso’s flavour is overrated, but this is to be expected – India’s national fruit is also one of its most savoured seasonal delicacies, and passions over it run high.

The common mango, Mangifera indica, has been domesticated in India for more than 4,000 years. The country produces some 22 million tonnes of mangoes every year. While the bulk of these are enjoyed at home, more than 50,000 tonnes – chiefly the Alphonso variety – are exported around the world.

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