So The Issue of the King of Mangoes Is Back On The Table..!

ALPHONSO MANGO - AN IDENTITY CRISIS..?

The issue of Alphonso Mango and Geographical Indication has come back on the table for a hearing to decide upon the existing and non-existing dichotomy. 

Taking a queue from my earlier post, I stand by what I have said asserting the position of Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango, Devgad Alphonso Mango in the light of Geographical Indications.

I would like a quote a paragraph from a research article titled "An Environment Appraisal of Jaigad-The Proposed Site for the 1200MW Mega Thermal Power Plant” published by The Green Alternatives, Mumbai (2007), Dr. P.R. Arun, while discussing the unique agricultural biodiversity of Ratnagiri region said:

“The conservation value of this area is further enhanced because of the unique Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes. Ratnagiri Alphonso variety of mangoes is produced only from this small region, and is a delicacy for mango lovers all over the world. It is time that the Government take the necessary steps to provide adequate protection to this heritage fruit, through facilitating Geographical Indication system registration for the orchards of this area.”

Above quoted paragraph very much summarizes what I want to say!

Now, important question that everyone seeks answers for is -  how do we really identify the real Alphonso from Ratnagiri or Devgad?

It has been popularly said that Mangoes take the color of the soil they are grown on and rightly so. Red, Iron rich alluvial soil in Ratnagiri district gives Ratnagiri Alphonso its characteristics color and flavour. High Silicon content in soil maintains the integrity of peel of Mango. While the Devgad Alphonso has a thin skin as compared. It has a narrow and slightly elongated bottom. This feature distinguishes it from other Alphonso Mangoes. Although visually similar to Ratnagiri and Devgad Alphonso Mangoes, other Alphonso varieties are grown on flat terrain and far away from sea shore and therefore differ characteristically (thick skin with less pulp) from the cultivars grown in Ratnagiri and Devgad on the red soil of the Konkan, surrounded by the salty sea breeze.

There are loads of reports describing how the consumer is being cheated when the Alphonso look alike from Gujarat and Karnataka are being sold in the name of Ratnagiri and Devgad Alphonso Mangoes. Though many farmers from these areas have taken firm steps to ensure direct to home delivery from the farms, there remains lot to be done. 

Granting GI status to Ratnagiri and Devgad Alphonso Mangoes will go long way in order to devise an effective strategy in order to prevent misuse of the brand name and prevent cheating of the consumer. I will update the status post hearing..

~ Stay Tuned ~

until next time..