Organic Mango Farms In & Around Chennai Battle Climate Change Roadblock
For Chennaiites, the arrival of summer marks the time to begin the search for fresh, juicy mangoes. Some prefer ordering the fruit from well-known distributors from the comfort of their homes, some head to the best markets in town to pick the best mangoes available, while others will saddle up and go to farms in and around town to fetch for themselves the best grade mangoes and bring a box or two of the yellowy goodness home.
Not far away from the metropolis is the Hanu Reddy Raghava farm in Guduvanchery and Nirupama Reddy of the Hanu Reddy family explained that their main focus is producing Banganapalli (known for its juicy and sweet flesh with very little fibre). It occupies 90 per cent of their farm while they do produce Rasalu as well.
Due to the changing weather, it was not surprising to hear Nirupama speak worryingly about the produce this year. “Basically, the yield has been pretty low over the last few years, mostly because of the changing weather pattern. During the actual flowering season, there is either too much rain or too much fog. We have been facing a lot of challenges,” she said.
The Hanu Reddy farm specialises in tree ripening fruit and has built up its clientele based on the same. Nirupama says people await the arrival of mangoes from her farm, for it only takes four or five days for the fruit to make it to one’s dining table from the farm. The mangoes at Hanu Reddy Farm come to maturity only by the end of May.
Should one wish to send organic fresh mangoes to their loved ones, Nirupama and team also dispatch gift boxes and the month of June may be the best time to do so.
Starts at INR 180 per kg.
Instagram: @hanureddy
From Mumbai to Salem
Located right in the city, at Kilpauk, is Feastinn, a venture that was begun four years ago. Kapil Dahima, who runs it, says he sources mangoes from Mumbai and Salem. He mainly sells Alphonso (said to be number one in taste), but also gets Imam Pasand (said to have been the fruit of choice for India’s royalty) from Salem.
“The best Alphonso you can get is from Ratnagiri, while Devgad comes in as a close second. We source our Alphonso from Devgad, for Ratnagiri commands a premium. The Alphonso season runs from March to June, post which Banganapalli begins to arrive,” said Kapil when we enquired about his best mangoes and where they come from. He gets Langra and Dasheri mangoes from Uttar Pradesh as well, but they are yet to arrive.
Kapil, who exclusively sources organic mangoes, only ships raw and semi-ripe fruits to customers in boxes filled with hay. This, he says, ensures that the fruits he sells ripen in about four to five days. He sends gift boxes as well.
INR 900 for five kgs. Call: 95661 04165
Novel farming
L Janarthanan from Thirunilai near Chennai has a farm called Nansei Organic Agri Thottam spanning 12 acres and grows over 10 types of mango trees on his property, including those that produce Banganapalli, Sindhura, Imam Pasand, Kalaphad and Kadher (Alphonso).
“The sweetest of the lot is Imam Pasand and I consider it to be the king of mangoes, while people may say otherwise. I have customers who drive from Chennai often, come to my farm and buy mangoes. Imam Pasand, Kalaphad and Banganapalli sell really well,” said Janarthanan.
He also offers to show people around his farm and should one wish, discuss in detail about the organic methods he uses to get the yield. For example, he sprays buttermilk on the flowers to ensure their development into fruits. “This year, although the taste of the fruit is really good, the colour is different. When it rains, the colour of mangoes change. Of course, when one takes a bite, they forget how it looks, for the flavour is preserved regardless,” said Janarthanan.
Price: Seasonal. Call: 92833 70162
Mango tourism
It seems mango producers have deemed it necessary for people to see what goes into producing the fruit and farm tours have been on the rise in and around town. It offers two main things to people — a chance to know more about something they savour and the opportunity to buy it first hand from the producers with no middlemen involved.
Hanu Reddy Mango Tourism at the Hanu Reddy Raghava Farm has been a hit since its inception. Nirupama said she wants mango tourism in India to be on the bucket list of travellers from across the world.
“We take people to the farm, allow them to pluck the mangoes, and we give them a breakfast with mango dishes. There will be a lot of activities for the whole family,” she said enthusiastically. Over 300 passes have already been accounted for and the mango festival is scheduled to take place on June 11, 18 and 25.
Call: 98840 20848.