How A Tripura Painter From Small Village Came To Grow The World's Most Expensive Mango

Pragyan Chakma was a painter and ran an art school 每 Chunilal Lalitkala Academy 每 in his small village of Pancharatan till the Covid-19 pandemic.

From being a painter to a successful farmer, the 42-year-old undertook this journey all alone. It was on a visit to his friend's home in Bengal from his own residence in the jurisdiction of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in Dhalai district that he came across mango trees that bear fruit all year round.

That is when the idea came to him to have his own orchard.

Pragya Chakma in his orchard/ Indian Express

Any money he made - through certain odd jobs, painting assignments, and the income from his art school - went into investing in his orchard.

The little-heard-of Miyazaki Mango

He depended on the Internet in general and YouTube in specific to know about the Miyazaki mango and to get know-how on growing a plant that nobody had heard of in his area.

Speaking to the Indian Express, he says, "I did not apply for help from the government, neither did they assist."

Today, Pragyan runs a 4-acre fruit orchard which includes fruits such as rambutan, dragon fruit and apple ber, and a variety of mangoes like Khatimon, American Palmer, Rangui, Amrapali etc., apart from the most expensive Miyazaki mango.

From Miyazaki city in Japan

The Miyazaki mango was originally grown in Miyazaki city in Japan's Kyushu prefecture. It is usually over 350g in weight and has 15% or higher sugar content. The cultivation of this variety requires long hours of bright sunshine and warm, abundant rainfall

This ruby red-coloured fruit is also known as "Egg of the Sun" or Taiyo-no-Tamago in Japan.

Miyazaki/ BCCL

Miyazaki is a type of "irwin" mango, which is different from the yellow "pelican mango" widely grown in Southeast Asia. It contains beta-carotene and folic acid and is considered to be rich in antioxidants.

Retails at ?2.70 lakh per kg

Says Pragyan, "I started growing mangoes five years ago, and it has been two years now that I have been selling Miyazaki mangoes."

Pragyan tending to the Miyazaki mangoes in his orchard/ Indian Express

The Miyazaki mangoes are sold at around Rs 2.75 lakh per kg in the international market.

However, since the Miyazaki mangoes grown by him have not been tested by the horticulture department and do not have a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Pragyan has been selling them at Rs 1,500 per kg at the local market in Gandacherra.

After selling 20 kgs last year, he hopes to increase it this year by doubling his sales to roughly 40 kgs.

Government attention

Miyazaki mangoes, touted to be the most expensive mangoes in the world, are finally receiving attention from the state agencies.

The District Superintendent of Agriculture in Dhalai, C K Reang, said, "It seems there is a good potential for Miyazaki mangoes. It might take some time since they only have a handful of Miyazaki plants now. But we have extended our support by building a canal for them; we have also given them technical know-how."

Recently, on June 14, the Horticulture Research Complex, Nagicherra Fruit Block, displayed the varietal diversity of Tripura mangoes. At least 40 varieties of the 'king of fruits' were displayed.

Tripura Minister Ratan Lal Nath at the display/ tripurainfo.com

Inaugurating the mango display in Tripura, minister Ratan Lal Nath said, "Not only West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, but also in this state now the production of delicious mangoes has started. Farmers have now started commercial mango cultivation in various parts of the state. Already they have started to see the face of profit."

How the Miyazaki mango is grown

The Miyazaki mango requires well-drained soil with slightly acidic to slightly alkaline pH levels. It requires warm weather, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 degree Celsius at daytime and around 20 degrees at night.

These mango trees also require abundant rainfall, ideally between 1000 to 1500mm per year, and trees must be well-spaced. The most ideal time to plant Miyazaki saplings is during the onset of monsoon, in the months June or July.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.