Pickle mango fair in K'taka from April 23

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Sirsi, Karnataka, Apr 15 (UNI) A three-day rare State-level 'Midimaavu Fair-2007' (pickle mango fair) will be held at Sagar in Shimoga district of Karnataka from April 23 to raise an awareness about the importance, conservation, marketing and other aspects of the dwindling 'appe midi' (the mango variety used for pickles).

The main objective of the fair was conservation and documentation of the species and sensitising the local farmers and villagers about the need for conservation of these vanishing varieties. Environment and appe mango experts would share their ideas on various aspects of appe mango. About 700 varieties of 'appe midi' would be exhibited in the fair, organised by Hegde Farm.

Last year, such a conference was held in Sirsi where over 50 varieties of 'appe' mango were exhibited.

Uttara Kannada district in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hot spot, was said to be the cradle of 'appe midi', the most scented of all mango varieties.

According to Dr R Vasudeva, faculty of Forestry College, Sirsi, it was estimated that over 300 known varieties were found in Uttara Kannada district alone and about 700 varieties in the Malnad region.

These varieties were recognised by their aroma, unique taste, colour, shape, size, pulp content, shelf life, consistency and season of harvest. Some of the popular varieties of 'appe' mango in the region were Ananthabhatta appe, Manjabhatta appe, Malanji appe, Haladota appe and Karpura appe.

He opined that though all mango varieties were classified under the species 'Mangifera indica', belonging to the 'Anacardiaceae' family, pickle mango seemed to be genetically different from the traditional fruit mango varieties. Pickle mango species were highly restricted to river banks and other swampy areas and required high soil moisture conditions for its flowering and fruit set.

It was estimated that a mature 'Appe' mango tree on a river bank could yield 5,000 to 10,000 fruits which could potentially fetch up to Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 every year. Commercially, the trees were an important Non-Timber Forest Product, but there were no strict guidelines for the collection and marketing of NTFP. Because of the high stake, pickle industries encourage large scale collection of the fruits, leading to indiscriminate and unscientific harvesting and depletion of the population.

UNI

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