Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): About 90,000 Alphonso mangoes harvested from roughly 3,000 trees are available for sale at the three-day Alphonso (Hapus) Mango Festival that opened at Dutt Mandir Complex in Arera Colony on Friday.
Alphonso is the only mango variety in the country that is sold by the dozen, rather than by weight. Due to its Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the cultivation of this specific mango is restricted to licensed farmers exclusively within Konkan region of Maharashtra.
The Alphonso mangoes at the festival are priced from Rs 500 to Rs 2000 per dozen. Sanjay Joshi, the organiser of the exhibition, said, “The best way to identify an Alphonso mango is by its fragrance; if one is in your vicinity, you will be able to catch its scent from as far away as 15 feet.”
These mangoes are harvested from the trees 10 days prior to full ripening and are subsequently ripened using organic methods. The Hapus category also includes a specific variety known as Ratnagiri Payari, which is notably sweet. Individual fruits of this variety typically weigh between 150 and 200 grams.
