Over 475 Varities of Mangoes @Fruit Research Station

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Sangareddy: How many varieties of mangoes can one find in an area of 161 acres? Ten, 20, 50? One may be bewildered to know that the Fruit Research Station (FRS) in Sangareddy grows a mind-boggling 470 varieties of mangoes in the orchards on the campus, covering almost every variety of the fruit in the world!

The weight of the mango, considered the king of fruits, found here, varies from less than 50 gm to more than 2 kg apiece. The outlet here attracts mango lovers from across the nation since they not only find so many varieties of the fruit here, but also because they are ripened organically in line with the guidelines of scientists.

 

Speaking to Telangana Today, Porike Harikanth, Farm Manager and scientist, said the FRS had brought over 500 kinds of mango varieties from across the globe and is raising them in the 161-acre campus. About 470 varieties of mangoes are available at the research station this year.

Mind-boggling variety

Harikanth said he can say without any hesitation that people can find any variety of mango grown in any corner of the world here in Sangareddy. The mango orchard is divided into three blocks. The second block has the highest number of mango varieties. During the harvest season, mango traders get the rights of harvest through e-tender. Following the guidelines of the research institute, Harikanth said traders have to set up their stalls only on the premises of FRS.

MD Moinuddin, whose family has been setting up of a stall here since 1952, says they get customers from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and all corners of the country. However, a majority of the customers are from Telangana, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, he said.

Not only does the size of each mango variety found here vary, but the taste, pulp, size of the seed and price too varies from one variety to another. While Banaganapalle is being sold at Rs 80 a kg, some varieties like Samar Bahisht and Azmath Samar are being sold at Rs 1,500 per kg and Rs 1,000 per kg, respectively.

Another person at the stall, MD Nayeebackn, says varieties like Kalakan, Panchadhara, Sambre Bachesh, Charbad Gudi, Raja Pasand, Nawab Pasand, Parba Shankar, Malkoba, Langda, Mehamooda, Nazeem Pasand, Khaju, Dil Pasand, Lazath Bakshi, Safedha and many others are found only at his stall besides regular varieties such as Banganepalle, Rasalu, Dussehri, and others. The mangoes are packed in special covers for customers from other places. The FRS, a research institute under Prof Jayashankar Agriculture University, has been witnessing hectic activity as it has been attracting a large number of mango lovers from across the nation.