Indore: Madhya Pradesh’s popular ‘Noor Jahan’ mango, which weighs around 3.5 kg, is losing its lustre, as only eight fruit-bearing trees are left in Alirajpur district, an official said on Sunday.
There are only eight ‘Noor Jahan’ mango trees left in private orchards in Katthiwada area and this is a matter of concern, Alirajpur’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) head Dr RK Yadav told PTI.
A few decades ago, a fruit from this mango variety used to weigh up to 4.5 kg, but it has now come down to around 3.5 kg, he said.
“We want to save the ‘Noor Jahan’ mango for the future generations. We have planted two trees through the propagation method and they are expected to bear fruit in the next three to four years. After that, we will prepare more trees using this method,” Dr Yadav said.
While ‘Noor Jahan’ is a larger and fleshier fruit, it is not as tasty as other varieties of mangoes, he said.
“We want to enhance the taste of ‘Noor Jahan’ variety through research,” the official said.
Since this mango variety has a lot of pulp, the prospects for its use in the food processing industry are bright, he said.
The moist climate and clay soil of Katthiwada region is favourable for the cultivation of ‘Noor Jahan’ and the weight of other varieties of mangoes in this area is also more than those produced in other parts of the country, he said.
“During the mango season, 80 to 100 tonnes of different varieties of the fruit are sold every day in the markets of Katthiwada,” Dr Yadav said.
Katthiwada is specially known for the cultivation of ‘Noor Jahan’ and its trees have proved to be a goldmine for mango growers.
Shivraj Singh Jadhav, a leading mango grower from Katthiwada, said, “Last year, the heaviest Noor Jahan mango in my orchard weighed 3.8 kg and I sold it for Rs 2,000.”
Ishaq Mansoori, who has been growing mangoes in Katthiwada for years, says that this mango species is very sensitive to fluctuating weather conditions.
“This time, the unseasonal rains and hailstorms have destroyed the ‘Noor Jahan’ flowers in our garden,” Mansoori said.
The trees of this variety start blooming from January and its fruits are ready by June, he said.
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