By Khurshid Ahmed
Lucknow/Malihabad: The Japanese wonder called Miyazaki, a mango variety that supposedly has a market value in lakhs - Rs 2.8 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per kg, seems to have fizzled out in its reach and popularity in India's mango capital Malihabad. The ground reality farmers here faced was, neither is there any demand for the variety nor are there buyers ready to shell out the big money.
“That price attached with the variety is pure myth,” says orchardist Zubair, who planted Miyazaki trees across four bighas of land. “Last year, the harvest was less but this year we have got about a quintal. But forget lakhs, no one is willing to pay Rs 500 per kilo in the markets,” he adds.
Though Zubair tried contacting a few markets abroad, none of the exporters agreed. It so happened that he had to give the mangoes for free. "This year too, no one is ready to pay more for the mangoes. The market is cold to the Miyazaki variety," he states.
Pointing at exotic varieties like Tommy Atkins, Banana Mango, and Ambika which fetch around Rs 500 per kilo, Zubair says the the realistic price range for Miyazaki too is the same and not in lakhs.
Zubair goes on to explain how Dussehri mangoes once commanded high prices due to rarity. "The same has happened to Miyazaki. As production increased, prices normalised and I am sure the same will happen with Miyazaki given that farmers in India and Pakistan are planting it in large numbers,” he adds. He has another valid point that the Miyazaki may fetch a higher price in Japan due to their currency value and strict quality control, but in India, there is no extraordinary trait in it to justify such a price.
In Malihabad’s local fruit market, trader Ram Chandra, who has been working in the mandi for over 20 years, says the Miyazaki mangoes have not arrived in the market. “I am working here for a long time and I am sure the Miyazaki will not fetch more than Rs 50 per kilo and reach customers at Rs 100. Prices have not changed in two decades,” he asserts.
Mango researcher Shubham Mishra says India’s Miyazaki is not the same as the original Japanese one. “In Japan, the fruit’s deep red colour, aroma, and smooth texture come from very specific climate and care conditions which cannot be replicated here. But in India, the fruit’s colour often darkens during rains, and it retains the fibre. It’s attractive but taste-wise, it lacks that punch,” he says.
Nursery operator R.K Singh, who has sold over 10,000 Miyazaki saplings across Uttar Pradesh, says, “Most buyers plant these as a hobby. A sapling costs Rs 1,000, and people buy it just with the hope that mangoes worth lakhs would grow. Let me tell you, these are only good for photos.”
A farmer Iqbal Ahmad, who has planted 400 Miyazaki trees, says, “Yes, the fruit looks good. But it ripens late only after all the other mangoes varieties are off the shelf. It needs a lot of care but sells at the normal price. People come to click pictures and flaunt the ‘lakhon wala aam’—but that’s all.”
However, veteran grower Phool Chandra says it is a decent mango with mild sweetness and colour. But it cannot beat our own Dussehri, Langda, or Chausa.
Tagged exotic, the fruit is more popular on the internet. Going by what the growers say, it is a little more than a misunderstood novelty. And for now, in Malihabad, it remains a fruit good for selfies.
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