King of fruit to rule all seasons

South Gujarat-based firm developing all-season mangoes.

Gujarat mangoes satiated taste buds of many in the White House last summer. And if all goes well, soon mango lovers across the globe would be able to relish the king of fruit all through the year.

South Gujarat-based Desai Fruits and Vegetables, the company which accounted 80 per cent of mango exports from Gujarat to the US last year, is currently developing a new variety of mango, which could be grown throughout the year.

The South Gujarat-based agri firm has already brought a team of three foreign experts to develop the variety.

"We want to develop such a variety in Gujarat, so that consumers can enjoy mangoes in all seasons. Currently, research is being carried out and the variety is under field trials," said Ajit Desai, chairman and managing director of Desai Fruits and Vegetables. He, however, refused to divulge more details on the project.

The company hopes to come out with the variety for commercialisation in around two years' time.

"Scientifically, it is feasible to develop such types of mango. This could be done by manipulating plant canope and soil," Anand Agricultural University, vice-chancellor, M C Varshney told Business Standard.

A few groups of farmers in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra have also developed a new variety of Alphonso, which grows all through the year. This type of variety helps farmers to harvest crop every month.

Though Gujarat is known for its Kesar variety, Desai Fruits is developing new Alphonso variety for all seasons. In the past few years, the company has emerged as a strong player in the field of fruit and vegetable exports. "We were the first company to export banana for the first time in the history of Gujarat," he says.

The company currently is engaged in contract farming of mangoes, banana, pomegranate and other vegetables in the state, mainly in south Gujarat. The company has 1,200 acres of land under contract farming of fruit and vegetables in the state and around 400 farmers are associated with the company.

Last year, around 160 tonnes of mangoes were exported to the US, of which Desai Fruits accounted for 135 to 140 tonnes. Overall, it exported 1,400 tonnes of mangoes to US, Europe, Japan and Middle East last year.

In 2008-09, the company plans to export 1,800 tonnes of mangoes in 2008-09, including 500 to 700 tonnes of mangoes to the US. Lured by the impressive performance of the company, a Switzerland-based company CFI AG has picked up 80 per cent in the company, which as a turnover of Rs 32 crore.