The mango is an integral element of Goan life. From eyeing the
neighbour’s Mancurad tree and waiting for a thud to pick the fruit, to
relishing the tasty mango milkshakes in the summer heat, every childhood would
be incomplete without this vibrant yellow fruit. However, these memories would
not be possible if our forefathers didn’t have the wisdom to plant at least one
mango tree around the house. Today, as the country celebrates National Mango
Day, Goa is still waiting for the Goan Mancurad variant to get the geographical
indication (GI).
The Botanical Society, Corporation of the
City of Panjim (CCP) and the Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera are working on
creating an ‘edible city’ by planting grafts of 15 fruit-bearing trees
including mangoes, jamun, guava, avocado, and chikoo across the city. ”We have
grown trees at Dayanand Bandodkar Road and we are planning to cover the roads
in Mala, Fontainhas, Caranzalem and Taleigao. If we get the required
permission, we may also plant trees at the EDC Complex in Patto. Traditionally,
mango trees were planted on the roads for shade and fruit. There were two very
famous places for this canopy of trees. One was on the Colvale road which is
now the National highway, where the trees after much protest were still cut for
the flyover. The other ‘Ambeanim’ is at the beginning of Tivim village which
were also under threat when the area was proposed for an international cricket
stadium,” says Miguel Braganza, secretary of the Botanical Society of Goa.
Goa originally had 135 varieties of mangoes from which only 77
varieties exist today among the 125 varieties that have made way from across
the country. “Many owners don’t know the variety of the mango and when the tree
is given on rent, the tenants add their own names to the mangoes. The mango
tree can live for over a 100 years and there are only two reasons for the death
of a tree. If a parasite (bendol) starts taking over the tree, it can destroy
the tree and the fruit harvest over the years, ultimately killing the tree. The
second reason is there is a certain beetle which lays eggs between the bark and
the trunk of the tree which rots the tree from within. The best ways to save
the tree is to whitewash the tree with ‘chunna’, from its root to about one
meter above the ground. The tree has to be cleaned of the entire parasite
either in the month of August or April May after reaping the harvest,” advises
Braganza.
The younger generation is certainly taking note of the
environment and showing keen interest. This is proven by the successful 31
editions of the Festival of Plants and Flowers at SFX High School, Siolim. The
festival which inspires over 30 schools in Goa is annually held in the month of
August. Priyanka Naik, a former student of Don Bosco College of
Agriculture-Sulcorna, demonstrated the art of grafting of mango trees for a
workshop at the school. In her own farm in Mollem, she has grafted over 5,000
mango saplings and the enthusiasm she sees in children motivates her to educate
them further. “Mango grafting is my main focus because there are over a
hundred-year-old trees being destroyed due to negligence. I have trained
children in over 60 schools all across Goa in mango grafting and they are so
eager to learn that they approach me after the workshop to ask more questions.
There is a lot of awareness about the mango tree in recent times. The All Goa
Mango Growers’ Association, with approximately 40 farmers, was formed this year
and my husband, Vandit, is the treasurer. They are working on the GI tag for
the Mancurad,” says Priyanka, who was awarded the Young Achiever’s award by the
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for her efforts.
Festakar Marius
Fernandes organised two mango festivals this year as a tribute to the tasty
fruit – at Montfort Academy, Corlim and at Caculo
Mall, Panjim. “It was a call for help. From the 77 original varieties, only five varieties reach the market while other
non-Goan mangoes have taken over the market. With massive tree cutting and
construction, the future generation will not even know the names of these
mangoes if not educated today. The festivals received a huge response with over
200 youngsters just from Corlim. There were nearly 17 varieties of mangoes for
sale at the festivals,” says Fernandes.
Being
optimistic that the young are getting environment-friendly and searching for
green spaces, hopefully the mango trees will soon give fruit on the roads of
Panjim very soon.
