During the peak of the Mankurad mango season in Goa in early May this year, we discussed the branding of this variety. It obtained a ‘Geographical Indication’ or GI tag for Goa last year and by May 25 this year, it became the first mango of Goan origin to be exported from Goa. The mangoes were procured from local farmers growing them in Thane-Dongurlim Panchayat area near Valpoi in Sattari taluka in Goa and exported by KayBee Export Pvt Ltd. The export was facilitated by APEDA (Agricultural Produce Export Development Agency) with sanitary certificate and customs clearance through Samuel Dias & Co, Vasco. The export of three hundred boxes of Mankurad or Malcurada mangoes from Manohar International Airport at Mopa in Pernem was a breakthrough.
There are many requirements that have to be fulfilled to export a consignment of mangoes to the UK or to any EU country or to USA and Canada. The first requirement is a phyto-sanitary certificate that the fruits are free from mango fruit fly infestation even in egg stage and free from fungal infections that cause fruit rot. At the same time, the traces of certain insecticides freely used in India for fruits marketed in domestic markets are banned in Europe, even though the insecticides are manufactured by European companies in India or their authorised manufacturers. Buoyed by the success of the third ‘Goa Mango Festival’ in mid-May 2024, the Goa Directorate of Agriculture helped the exporter to source the Mankurad mangoes locally.
It is not as if the idea of exporting Mankurad mangoes came out of thin air. Way back in 1980, the ‘All India Mango Show’ was held in Panaji, the then capital of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman & Diu. Fernando do Rego and Kutbudin A Kazi of the Directorate of Agriculture presented a research paper listing the different varieties of mangoes in Goa. The Manga Hilario won a prize at that show in early July, 1980. However, to the Goan consumer mango means ‘Mankurad’ even though the Mankurad variety is not yet registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, (PPV & FRA) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, New Delhi.
In 1987, the decade-old Agriculture Officers’ Association (AOA) Goa, organised the first ‘All Goa Mango Show’ at the Institute Menezes Braganza and the then Development Commissioner, Vinod Kumar Duggal IAS, appreciated the display of different varieties of mangoes from the government farms as well as private growers. The best grafters in the directorate were felicitated and given certificates of appreciation that each one of them framed and placed prominently in their living rooms at home. With their morale boosted by the recognition, they mastered the art of epicotyl grafting, commonly known as ‘stone grafting’, and were able to produce mango grafts superior to those obtained by inarching or approach grafting. The epicotyl grafting had a higher success rate and needed much less effort because it did not require one to climb mango trees to water the grafts. It revolutionised the nursery practices and increased the availability of mango grafts of choice varieties.
The Directorate of Agriculture, AOA and Lion’s Club of Avedem-Paroda, sporadically, organised ‘All Goa Mango Shows’ between 1992 and 2002, either in Panaji or in Margao. From 2003, the Botanical Society of Goa (BSG) began organising the Konkan Fruit Fest (KFF) annually in the first half of May in collaboration with the newly established (Municipal) Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and the consistent participation of ICAR-Goa. The Directorate of Agriculture, the Forest Department, the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth and University of Agricultural Sciences Dharwad, Bengaluru and Bagalkot associated with the festival during some years. Mango varieties from across the Konkan were the focus of the KFF held in Panaji for a decade up to 2012 and for two years 2013 and 2014 in Margao before returning to Panaji for a joint event with the second ‘Goa Mango Fest’ of the Directorate of Agriculture on the riverside promenade of Dayanand Bandodkar road.
India ranks eighth as an exporter of fresh mangoes to the world market. According to APEDA figures, in 2018-19India exported 46,510.27 MTmangoes worth US$ 60.26 million.The exports dropped during the Covid pandemic that restricted transportation and reduced consumption worldwide. However, the State of Goa was not one of the mango exporters till this year. The Mankurad at a sugar level of 21 Brix is slightly less sweet than Manga Hilario (23 Brix). The Manga Hilario or Mangilar is arguably the best mango variety of Goa. It has light butter yellow to ivory colour pulp that is firm, melting, juicy and aromatic. The cut edge of the peel is saffron coloured. Its major disadvantage is that the fruits ripening during the monsoons often have maggots of fruit flies, if not controlled. Pheromone-based fruit fly traps are now easily available and commonly used to overcome the maggots. Goa is awaiting a GI tag for this variety.
(The writer, former agricultural officer and a mentor to the GenNext organic farmers, is committed to nurturing young talent for a food-secure future)
