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Rs 19,000 for one mango! Meet the Japanese farmer who grows it

Produced by: Bhoomika
Designed by: Pragati

Japanese farmer Hiroyuki Nakagawa has been selling a single piece of mango for $230 (Rs 19,000 approx) per piece 

Single piece of mango
sold for Rs 19,000

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Nakagawa has been cultivating mangoes in Hokkaido's Tokachi region since 2011. As per a Bloomberg report, the 62-year-old person used to run a petrochemical firm but as the fuel prices surged, he started looking for alternative sources of income and hence, he ventured into mango cultivation

Meet Hiroyuki Nakagawa

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Traditionally, the mangoes start ripening at the onset of summer. But, Nakagawa is cultivating these mangoes even in the winter with the help of a foggy greenhouse at his farm

Mangoes grown in
chilly winters

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Nakagawa named the expensive mango breed 'Hakugin no Taiyo', which means ‘Sun in the Snow’. Hokkaido's Tokachi is famous for two natural resources snow and onsen (hot spring), which have been used to grow these mangoes

'Hakugin no Taiyo'
mango sold at Rs 19,000

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Nakagawa's mangoes have some top buyers, including Asia's Best Female Chef 2022 Natsuko Shoji, who makes mango flower cakes using them

Nakagawa's famous
clients 

But there are other mangoes that are even more expensive. One such variety is Japan's Miyazaki, which costs nearly Rs. 2.7 lakh per kg. Unlike the traditional yellow-coloured mangoes, Miyazaki is purple in colour 

World’s most expensive
mango: Miyazaki mango

The world's costliest mangoes are not just limited to Japan. A variety of mangoes are being cultivated in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur including Miyazaki mangoes. As per reports, a couple in Madhya Pradesh hired four guards and six dogs to protect two Miyazaki mango trees

Miyazaki mangoes
cultivated in India

Kohitur is a mango breed, which is considered native to India. As per reports, a royal mango breeder Hakim Ada Mohammadi created this cross-breed variety during the reign of Bengal Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah and was only meant for royals. It reportedly costs upwards of Rs 1,500 per piece. The West Bengal government had sought a GI tag for it in 2018

Kohitur Mango in India

Each year, India celebrates National Mango Day on July 22 to remember the history, origin and journey of the 'King of Fruits'. Some of the most popular varieties of mangoes in India are Himsagar, Kesar, Chausa, Neelum, Alphonso and Dasheri

National Mango Day 2023