Syed Ghani Khan has in all preserved 120 varieties of mango, of which 116 trees are centuries old
Ever wondered a mango that tastes like sweet lime or looks like an apple or one that's naturally sugar-free? These are some of the varieties of the fruit that Syed Ghani Khan, an organic farmer from Karnataka, has managed to preserve.
Khan is the seventh generation in his family who takes care of about 116 mango trees of different varieties that were planted by his ancestors when Tipu Sultan was alive.
"Our trees are over 3 centuries old. It is said that Tipu Sultan brought these varieties of mangoes from different parts of the world and my ancestors were among those who planted them," said Khan. In fact, Khan has preserved 120 varieties of mango trees and sells the samplings to farmers who may want to grow them in their own orchards.
"We have a 16-acre land which is full of mango trees of various varieties. And we grow paddy under and beside the trees," said Khan dispelling the myth that paddy is a water intensive crop.
"The thing is that paddy needs protection from weeds and flooding the farm with water ensures minimum weeds. But we grow it in our own orchard and the moist soil is enough for it to be grown as long as you ensure that you remove the weeds from time to time," said Khan who lives in Kirugavalu village of Mandya district in Karnataka.
In fact, Khan has also preserved over 1,000 varieties of paddy from across India and some of it is on display at the 4th Kisan Swaraj Sammelan held at Vidyapith in Ahmedabad. He said that among the mango varieties the one that is most popular is mango fruit that tastes like sweet lime. "It sells for Rs 300 to 400 per plant while the desi varieties sell for Rs 40 to 50 a plant," said Khan.
Incidentally, Khan says he does not do much to protect his mango orchard. "No pruning is done on the mango trees. We grow everything organically. The trees grow as nature intended it to grow," said Khan. He gives away the paddy species for free of cost to farmers interested in growing them. Interestingly, he has set aside 1 acre of land to ensure that he grows the 1000 varieties of paddy available with him so that they can be preserved. "We collected it during our travel from India and across the world," said Khan who along with his three brothers take care of their orchards.
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