Ayodhya farmer grows world's most expensive mango in home garden

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 7 (ANI): A farmer from Ayodhya has successfully cultivated the Miyazaki mango, one of the world's most expensive mango varieties, in his home garden, drawing attention to the village of Ashrafpur Tonia.
Om Prakash Singh, a resident of Ashrafpur Tonia village, has grown the highly prized Japanese mango variety in his home orchard. While the tree currently bears only eight to ten fruits, Singh expects the yield to increase over the next two to three years.
Each Miyazaki mango weighs approximately 250 grams. Unlike common mango varieties that turn yellow or green on ripening, the Miyazaki develops a deep red and purple hue at maturity.
The premium fruit is primarily cultivated in Japan, but Singh's success marks the beginning of its cultivation in Ayodhya as well.
Last year in May, Farooq Inamdar, a farmer and former local politician from Varvand village of Pune district in Maharashtra, successfully grew 120 mango trees on just 20 gunthas (half an acre) of land.
Of these, 90 are international varieties, while 30 are native to India.
Among his prized collections is the Miyazaki mango, renowned for its exorbitant price, fetching as much as Rs 2.7 lakh per kilo in Japan and around Rs 1.5 lakh per kilo in India.
Inamdar's journey toward cultivating these rare species began during a pilgrimage to the Hajj, where he witnessed a vast selection of mangoes from around the world. Inspired, he imported saplings from various countries and began growing them on his farm in Pune.
Two years later, the trees have successfully borne fruit, with his farm now hosting global varieties such as Red African, Red Taiwan, Arunika, Banana Mango, A2 R2 from Australia, Katomoni and Shahjahan from Bangladesh, and the sought-after Miyazaki.
While most exotic mangoes command several thousand rupees per kilo, Miyazaki stands out for its premium pricing. A single kilo contains four to six mangoes, each weighing approximately 300 grams.
Inamdar also highlighted another high-yielding tree, "Koyatur," which produces 8-10 kilos of mangoes per season and fetches prices between Rs1,500 and Rs5,000 per fruit.
Encouraged by his success, he plans to expand his efforts by cultivating even more rare mango varieties worldwide. Inamdar also clarified that although he is getting several demands from online buyers for his mangoes, he decided to use all the mangoes this time for his consumption. (ANI)