By: D.W.
A couple of farmers in India accidentally grew the “most expensive mangoes in the world”, of the Miyazaki mango varieties, and now they need special security equipment to protect them.
Out of a total of 150 trees of this “rare” mango variety in the Sankalp and Rani Parihar orchard, only four are bearing fruit, The Times of India reported. They had initially planted 50 trees and later 100 more. In total, there are 1,100 different trees in the orchard located on the Chargawan road, about 25 km from the Jabalpur district headquarters.
According to Sankalp Parihar, a traveler offered him and his wife the mango tree four years ago, during their trip to Chennai to search for a rare variety of coconut. “At first, I didn’t know the breed. But once the trees bore fruit, we realized the plants were some rare variety,” Parihar said.
Attempted theft of the prized Miyazaki mango
Parihar said he decided to increase security at his orchard after last year’s robbery attempts. “Last year we had one dog, now we have nine; six are German shepherds and three are local breeds. And we have also deployed three security guards,” Parihar said.
Parihar said none of the fruit had been sold, although there was one buyer who was willing to pay 21,000 rupees ($283) for one fruit. “At the moment we have not made any plans to sell,” Parihar added.
As reported by the Hindustan Times, the deputy director of the Madhya Pradesh horticulture department, RS Katara, said he had inspected the orchard. “It is expensive because its production is very low, and its taste is very sweet. It looks very different.” He said they will recheck the fruit before promoting it to farmers.
“The pulp is like a jelly, the color is impressive, and you can even eat the outer skin,” Parihar said.
Miyazaki: the “Egg of the Sun”
Also known as the “Egg of the Sun”, the Miyazaki is often found at special auctions in Japan. As reported by Vice, citing local Japanese media reports, a box of two Miyazaki mangoes sold for half a million Japanese yen ($4,500) in 2019. On average, a single Miyazaki costs $50 and is considered a luxury gift.
The mangoes come from Miyazaki Prefecture and are grown under strict conditions with quality control that guarantees a sugar content of 15% and a minimum weight of 350 grams, according to Vice.