A couple in Madhya Pradesh has hired four security guards and six watchdogs to protect what is perhaps their most prized possession, Miyazaki mango trees which are tagged as the "world’s most expensive mangoes." When the two samplings were planted years ago, the couple named Rani and Sankalp Parihar had no idea the tree would bear ruby-coloured Japanese mangoes. Local thieves had broken into their orchards once and tried to steal saplings after word spread about the exotic fruit, triggering the security beef for the rare fruit.
Talking about how they got their hands on the rare mango sapling, Parihar told Hindustan Times that a few years ago, on his way to Chennai to buy some saplings, he met a man on a train who offered him some Miyazaki mango saplings.
"He offered these saplings to me and asked to take care of these plants like our babies. We planted [them] in the orchard without knowing what variety of mangoes it will produce," he shared.
He also shared that he lovingly calls these mangoes after his mother's name Damini.
"Later, we researched about this variety and found the real name. But it is still Damini for me,” he said.
Said to be one of the most expensive mangoes in the world, Japanese Miyazaki mangoes are often referred to as 'Eggs of Sunshine' due to their shape and flaming red colour. Miyazaki mangoes get their name from the city in Japan where they are grown. On average, one mango weighs about 350 grams. Rich in antioxidants, beta-carotene and folic acid, the mangoes are grown during the peak harvest between April and August.
-with ANI inputs
