Know the real hapoos by its Ratnagiri brand

The registration process of Ratnagiri’s special alphonso (hapoos) mangoes for a geographical indication (GI) is in its final stages.
Mango cultivators from the Ratnagiri area (comprising Ratnagiri district and parts of coastal Maharashtra) and the Dapoli agricultural university have come together to seek a GI to save their special brand of mangoes.

KH Pujari, a horticulture professor, pointed out that often different varieties of mangoes are sold as Ratnagiri alphonsos to cash in on the latter’s fame. “Some of these ‘alphonsos’ are from Gujarat and Karnataka and their taste is different from the Ratnagiri alphonsos. Thus, a geographical indication is essential for this fruit,” he said.

Pujari and Dr Vivek Bhide, a doctor who owns mango orchards, began the process of seeking a GI, realising that there was a need to protect the consumer and the unique taste and qualities of the Ratnagiri alphonso.

“A lot of people grow the alphonso sapling in other areas and sell the mango as Ratnagiri alphonso,” Bhide said. “Last year we faced one of the biggest shortages of mango crop but traders and some farmers sold mangoes grown in Karnataka, Gujarat and other places as Ratnagiri alphonsos. After the GI registration, we can take legal action against such malpractices.”

After GI registration, mangoes from Devgadh, Vengurla, Vijaydurg, Rajapur, Purnagadh, Jaygadh, Anjanvel, Mandangadh, and Dabhol — all of which lie in the coastal belt of Maharashtra — will be protected.

Pandurang Taware, managing director of the Maharashtra agricultural and rural tourism cooperative federation, said a GI was necessary because alphonsos are identified with the Konkan region of Maharasthra. “Our alphonsos should indicate either Ratnagiri or Konkan,” he said. “The word alphonso is rooted in this particular area of Maharashstra.”

After receiving the geographical indication, such alphonsos will be branded, thus ensuring farmers of a fixed return. Today, almost all alphonso mangoes sold in the market are branded as Ratnagiri mangoes. “Consumers are cheated and the Ratnagiri farmers lose out,” complained Aniket Konkar, who writes on agricultural issues, “But once the alphonsos from the Konkan receive their geographical indication, both will stand to benefit.”

Right now, the GI demand is for ‘Ratnagiri hapoos’. If that is not possible, then the proposed name is ‘Konkan hapoos’. The registration process is in its last stage and is expected anytime soon. Then, when you buy a box of mangoes that reads ‘Ratnagiri (or Konkan) hapoos’, you can be sure it is from the small strip of Maharashtra between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats.