‘No name’ mangoes on the rise

By VERDEL BISHOP

There are many varieties of “no name” mangoes in Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the rare varieties, created through the grafting process, were available last Sunday at the recently concluded Mango Festival, which was held at the UWI Field Station at Mt Hope and was produced by the Network of Rural Women Producers of Trinidad and Tobago, in conjunction with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, UWI and the Tourism Development Company.
Of the 32 official “named” varieties available locally, according to Gia Gaspard-Taylor from the Rural Women Producers of TT, there are mangoes you just have to name as you go along.
“There are mangoes that you have to name as you go along. There are 32 varieties but it keeps changing because people are grafting all the time. There were some at the Festival with no names,” Gaspard-Taylor said.
Meanwhile, the local demand for mangoes far outstrips the supply. This was revealed by Minister in the Ministry of Food Production, Jairam Seemungal. Speaking at the Mango Festival, Seemungal urged those interested in becoming mango producers or suppliers to look at mangoes and its products as one in which a sustainable industry can be developed.
Government has targeted the mango as one of the fruit commodities to grow by ten percent from 50 tons, with a market value of $336,000 per year to 55 tons in 2015. The additional production, according to Seemungal, would be utalised by the downstream industries to produce snacks like candies, bakery products, canned products, jams, jellies and other products.
The Mango Festival attracted a large crowd of locals and foreigners hoping to get their hands on some of the varieties available. Gaspard-Taylor explained many mango lovers were disappointed as this season mangoes are in short supply. She blamed climate change on the poor supply of mangoes.
“Many were left disappointed because they could not get the amount of mangoes they wanted. People came with bags to purchase mangoes and left with little or no mangoes. We tried to locate as many mangoes as possible for the Festival but it wasn’t possible.
“This is a leap year and like the rest of the world we are experiencing climate change which has affected the supply of the fruit. We had the support of the Ministry of Food Production and even individuals with mango trees in their yards but couldn’t get much. There was a lot of rain during the dry season and during the rainy season there was a lot of sun. The changes in the weather pattern is to be blamed for the limited fruit,” Gaspard-Taylor explained. She said the problem was being experienced throughout the Caribbean.
The Mango Festival also featured several booths from the Network of Rural Women Producers of TT, displaying a wide variety of mango products including beauty products, mango paper, mango jam, pastries with mango filling, mango bread and mango upside down cake.
The Festival also featured a mango market, grafting demonstrations, milking exhibitions and other entertainment.“Many were left disappointed because they could not get the amount of mangoes they wanted. People came with bags to purchase mangoes and left with little or no mangoes. We tried to locate as many mangoes as possible for the Festival but it wasn’t possible.
“This is a leap year and like the rest of the world we are experiencing climate change which has affected the supply of the fruit. We had the support of the Ministry of Food Production and even individuals with mango trees in their yards but couldn’t get much. There was a lot of rain during the dry season and during the rainy season there was a lot of sun. The changes in the weather pattern is to be blamed for the limited fruit,” Gaspard-Taylor explained. She said the problem was being experienced throughout the Caribbean.
The Mango Festival also featured several booths from the Network of Rural Women Producers of TT, displaying a wide variety of mango products including beauty products, mango paper, mango jam, pastries with mango filling, mango bread and mango upside down cake.
The Festival also featured a mango market, grafting demonstrations, milking exhibitions and other entertainment.