Mango festivals are not rare in Kerala, but a mango festival taking place at Edens Farm at Eruthempathy near the State border in the district is special by several means. Mango enthusiasts can not only taste and buy the mangoes of their choice, but also walk around the orchards and appreciate and order from the 500-odd trees of different varieties.
The two-day festival began at Edens Farm owned by Blaizy George on Friday displaying more than 60 varieties of mangoes. Mango lovers were seen not only tasting and buying, but also ordering budded saplings of some rare varieties such as 4-KG and Alampur Baneshan mangoes.
Winner of Karshaka Thilakam Award in 2021, Ms. Blaizy welcomed the visitors with her special mango payasam. “I feel like asking for one more glass,” said Madhusudanan Kartha, journalist and secretary of Palakkad Press Club, who was there at the fest as a guest.
Apart from the popular varieties such as Alphonso, Sindhoor, Himapasanth, Kalapadi, Natsela, Banganapally, Malgoa, Neelam, Mallika, Thothapuri, Gudadath, Olor and Priyur, the fest had some rare gems like Jehangir, Suvarnaregha, Nilanipasanth, Hamlet, Alampur Banesan, Sonia, H-56, and Australian Red.
“For a mango aficionado, it is worth a visit. They can choose from the tree and order as much as they want. The fest is special in that aspect,” said agriculture officer Abdul Khader N.
Oisca International has associated with the festival as it is meant to promote pesticide-free fruits. “Most mangoes available in the market today are exposed to various chemicals. Ms. Blaizy’s mangoes are devoid of such dangerous chemicals,” said N. Sudhodhanan, State secretary of Oisca International and former deputy director of the State Animal Husbandry department.
The mango festival taking place at Eruthempathy is also significant because of the rain-shadow nature of the region. Eruthempathy used to get the least amount of rain until a couple of years ago, and agriculture had been under severe threat.
“What excites me is the fact that mango farming is coming to Eruthempathy, a place that never really helped the farmers before. When Kerala used to receive 3,085 mm rain a year on an average, Palakkad district used to get only 1,250 mm. Regions such as Eruthempathy, Kozhinjampara and Vadakarapathy were getting the least amount of rain. But now things are changing for the better,” said Jothish Puthens, photographer and activist.
Food blogger Raj Kalesh inaugurated the festival. Dr. Sudhodhanan presided over the function. Eruthempathy panchayat president Priyadarshini, vice president R.C. Sampath Kumar, and Mr. Puthens spoke.
There will be seminars and classes on different aspects of mango cultivation on Saturday. The show will conclude on Saturday.
