Mango Lovers: Introducing Pragyan Chakma, 42, a painter-turned-horticulture enthusiast and businessman, has been successful in growing the Miyazaki mango, the most expensive mango in the world, in Tripura. The authorities have now taken notice of his agricultural achievements for the second year in a row. And that makes sense. Miyazaki mangoes, which are distinguished by the flamboyant crimson color they take on when ripe, are offered for sale in the international market for almost Rs 2.75 lakh per kilogram.
Media sources claimed that he began cultivating mangoes five years ago, and he has been selling Miyazaki mangoes for two years at this point. Pragyan Mangoes is a 4-acre fruit garden with a variety of mangoes, including Miyazaki, Khatimon, American Palmer, Rangui, Amrapali, rambutan, dragon fruit, and apple ber. In the local market in Gandacherra, Pragyan sold his Miyazaki mangoes for Rs 1,500 per kg, despite the fact that they had not been examined by the horticulture department and lacked a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. He claimed that in his neighborhood last year, he sold about 20 kg of Miyazaki mangoes. Pragyan is now hoping to harvest about 40 kilos of this uncommon variety from the few Miyazaki plants in his orchard.
Painter To Farmer
It was not an easy transition for Pragyan to go from being an artist to a farmer. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pragyan operated the Chunilal Lalitkala Academy, an art school in Pancharatan, a small village under the control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in the Dhalai district, about 82 kilometers from Agartala.He discovered a few "baaromashi (all-year fruit-bearing)" mango trees while visiting a friend's home in Bengal. He continued to complete painting tasks because he was addicted. He receives some funding through his art program, and he works a few odd jobs as well. He put everything into his orchard.
Role Of YouTube
He claimed that, in the absence of any support from the government, he heavily relied on YouTube and the internet in general to study about Miyazaki mangoes and acquire the knowledge necessary to produce a plant that was unknown to most people in his region. He initially used a pump to draw water from the nearby Thakuracherra stream to start his Miyazaki crop. But a year after his first harvest was sold, the neighborhood's agriculture and horticulture department took note. For his orchard, the officials have now excavated a canal.
'Egg Of Sun' Mangoes
Pragyan's Miyazaki mangoes, which are typically harvested between April and August, have just begun to appear on store shelves. Even though it wasn't from Tripura, this year's seventh iteration of a three-day mango festival in Siliguri featured the fruit. Miyazaki mangoes, also known as "Egg of the Sun" mangoes, are native to Japan's Kyushu province, in the city of Miyazaki. They are known for their vivid colors and exquisite egg-like shape. Its development began in the 1980s, when a team of regional farmers and experts began experimenting with ways to cultivate the ideal mango plant.
Numerous other horticulturists in the state have attempted to replicate Pragyan's achievement with the Miyazaki mangoes, but nearly none of them have succeeded in producing a crop comparable to his.
