RAJKOT/ SURAT: Didn't get enough of your favourite kesar this summer? Or didn’t freeze the pulp for indulgence in winter? Soon, mango lovers will not only have their fill in summer but savour the luscious fruit throughout the year.
Farmers in the kesar heartland of Saurashtra and Navsari in southern Gujarat successfully experimented with mango varieties that promise a seasonal presence on our shelves. Notably, certain varieties from Andhra Pradesh and Vietnam can be harvested two to three times a year.
Some orchard owners began experimenting with various trees, using the fruit for personal enjoyment or selling raw mangoes in local markets.
Sumeet Jariya, a mango grower from Sasan in Juna-gadh district, said, “Certain mango varieties produce two to three harvests annually, commonly referred to as the barmasi variety.
We’re still in the experimental phase.” His orchard boasts 12 such varieties, with two to three yielding impressive results. “One of our varieties from Thailand, called katimon, bears fruit twice a year— once in Sept-Oct and again in MarchApril,” he added.
Farmers are also exploring the bajrang variety from southern India. which can fruit three times a year. Interestingly, some varieties lack sourness in raw mangoes, making them suitable for direct consumption or pickling.
Once the experimental phase ends, farmers plan to move into commercial cultivation. Uka Bhatti, a farmer at Ditla village in Amreli district, said, “I recently harvested bajrang mangoes. New fruits will sprout again in 15 days.”
Professor D K Varu, head of the horticulture department at Junagadh Agricultural University, said that while some states already cultivate Barmasi varieties, farmers and nurseries in Gujarat are at the experiment stage.
In the Alphonso hub of South Gujarat, farmers are trying species that produce off-season fruits. Babu Katiriya, a local farmer, said, “We planted a few saplings of a species that bears fruit after summer and continue till winter.
This is a Barmasi variety with consistent fruiting.”
“Ratna and neelphonso typically bloom twice a year and fruiting can continue till October,” said D K Sharma, a professor at Navsari Agricultural University.
(Inputs from Yagnesh Mehta in Surat)
Farmers in the kesar heartland of Saurashtra and Navsari in southern Gujarat successfully experimented with mango varieties that promise a seasonal presence on our shelves. Notably, certain varieties from Andhra Pradesh and Vietnam can be harvested two to three times a year.
Some orchard owners began experimenting with various trees, using the fruit for personal enjoyment or selling raw mangoes in local markets.
Sumeet Jariya, a mango grower from Sasan in Juna-gadh district, said, “Certain mango varieties produce two to three harvests annually, commonly referred to as the barmasi variety.
We’re still in the experimental phase.” His orchard boasts 12 such varieties, with two to three yielding impressive results. “One of our varieties from Thailand, called katimon, bears fruit twice a year— once in Sept-Oct and again in MarchApril,” he added.
Farmers are also exploring the bajrang variety from southern India. which can fruit three times a year. Interestingly, some varieties lack sourness in raw mangoes, making them suitable for direct consumption or pickling.
Once the experimental phase ends, farmers plan to move into commercial cultivation. Uka Bhatti, a farmer at Ditla village in Amreli district, said, “I recently harvested bajrang mangoes. New fruits will sprout again in 15 days.”
Professor D K Varu, head of the horticulture department at Junagadh Agricultural University, said that while some states already cultivate Barmasi varieties, farmers and nurseries in Gujarat are at the experiment stage.
In the Alphonso hub of South Gujarat, farmers are trying species that produce off-season fruits. Babu Katiriya, a local farmer, said, “We planted a few saplings of a species that bears fruit after summer and continue till winter.
This is a Barmasi variety with consistent fruiting.”
“Ratna and neelphonso typically bloom twice a year and fruiting can continue till October,” said D K Sharma, a professor at Navsari Agricultural University.
(Inputs from Yagnesh Mehta in Surat)
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