Karnataka: 84-year-old man preserves over 150 rare varieties of mango

An 84-year-old man from Karnataka has been preserving ‘rare’ varieties of mangoes native of Western Ghats for over several years, according to ANI. Aged 84, the life-long resident of Sagar of Shivamogga district in the Southern Indian state has thus far managed to collect more than 150 varieties of native mangoes in over 16 years while travelling across the region. BV Subba Rao Hegde hails from the tiny village named Beluru nestled amid the greenery and nature and has been exploring neighbouring forests rich in biodiversity. The Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, hosts more than 50 wild edible fruit species, and Hegde has been identifying the native mangoes via their different aromas. 

"I love mango pickles right from childhood. There was only one variety of mango in my house. When I was 60 years, I made a plan to grow the native varieties in my tiny land of about one-acre space. My wife cooperated with my work,” Hegde told ANI.

The enthusiastic mango collector added, “I visited the villages to hunt native varieties of Appe Midi (tender mangoes used for pickles). At the initial stage, we had collected 120 varieties of mangoes with different aromas.”  The elderly man has brought some of these unique aromatic mangoes home and got the pickles prepared out of it. He collected a special “tender” variety from November to March. The Western Ghats endorses enormous plantation of edible mangoes as the climatic and topographical features of the region supports the unique assemblage of several varieties of one fruit or plant. 

Only 15 varieties 'preservable' 

“Out of the 150 varieties, it has been identified that only 15 varieties can be preserved for a long time,” Hegde informed. He further explained that he had replanted at least five varieties on to one tree next to his home, and grew some others in the pots to preserve the variety. I have donated many varieties to schools. I have created a small mango park in my house to explain the importance of the mangoes to the people" he said. Hedge was also honoured with the 'Award of Excellence'  for innovative farming at the National Horticulture fair 2021.