Every year during summers, mango lovers from across India not only gorge on their favourite age-old varieties of mangoes, but also get treated to new ones created by mango growers around the nation. This year, mango lovers will get to try out a new mango variety from Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh, that is named after and dedicated to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has registered the Modi mango variety and handed over the registration certificate to Malihabad’s Upendra Singh, one of the key mango growers of the region. Singh revealed in conversation with IANS that the new variety of Modi mangoes were named after the Indian leader because this desi mango has a thick, fat upper part which reminds one of Modi’s famous 56-inch chest remark.
It must be noted that Modi’s 56-inch remark has not only inspired the naming of this new desi mango variety, but also many famous Indian cuisine thaalis across the nation. Modi himself has often revealed his love for mangoes, which are known as the king of fruits, making this dedication quite apt. Smriti Zubin Irani, the Union Minister for Women & Child Development, also shared the news of this “khaas” Modi-special mango on Twitter.
In effect, what the recognition and registration of this Modi mango variety from Malihabad by ICAR means is that no other mango variety grown in the country can now be named after the current Indian PM. Singh revealed that this “khaas” mango variety has more pulp than fiber and resembles the flavour profile and texture of Dussehri mangoes, which also hail from Malihabad district. More details suggest that this mango variety is mildly sweet and a cross between two desi mango varieties.
Singh also revealed that he has been working on this special mango since 2019. He presented the mango at a festival in Lucknow in 2021 and applied for registration under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority (PPVFA). It must, however, be noted that Singh isn’t the first person to have developed a mango variety named after PM Modi.
Lucknow's 'mango man', Padma Shri Haji Kalimullah in 2015 had developed a new variety by crossing Kolkata's Husn-e-Aara with Lucknow's Dussehri and named it as 'NaMo'. In April this year, Ashok Chaudhary, who is also known as 'mango man' of Bhagalpur, had developed Modi-3 varieties of mangoes, after having already developed Modi-1 and Modi-2 varieties.