$2000 a mango for the season’s first tray!
Mango is a favourite fruit of us Indians for thousands of years. Even our famous poet Ghalib praised his love of mangoes in his poetry as he lazed in the hot Indian summers describing the fruit as heavenly in his couplet that goes:
”˜Mango is sweeter than the best in life, nay, even life itself”¦’
On September 4 Prime Minister Tony Abbott when he was the Opposition Leader still fighting for elections visited Sydney markets when the “first” tray of mangoes for the 2013 season were sold for $30,000. Yes only 16 mangoes in the tray for price of a mango each for almost $2000 or you can say one mango for approximately Rs. 1,20,000 each. Unbelievable!
In front of a huge crowd, which included Opposition leader Tony Abbott, the tray of fresh Northern Territory mangoes was bought by Heath McInerney, from Fresh Fellas Pty Ltd, on behalf of over 100 independent greengrocers and 55 wholesalers at the Sydney Markets.
Mr McInerney handed over the cheque and said it was an honour
“I’m very proud to be part of today’s auction success… the Sydney markets support us, so really proud to be a part of it.”
Chief executive of the Sydney Markets, Brad Latham, says although the $30,000 tray was less than last year’s record of $50,000, it’s still a vast improvement on the $65 raised at the first auction held in 1970.
Money raised from this year’s auction went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, the Cancer Council of NSW, and OzHarvest.
Pitched as the first mango tray of the season, the title is only symbolic, as Northern Territory mangoes are slowly showing up in Sydney’s fruit shops. Sydney Morning Herald reported on October 19 that mango growers are going to extraordinary lengths installing CCTV cameras to protect their crops of mangoes from mango thieves.
Well thieves or not mangoes are a favourite fruit of Indians all over the world. Though one can’t beat the variety that is available in India and especially the Alphonsos, here in Australia ”“ Kensingtons, R2E2, Calypsos, Palmar, Kent and Honey Gold, Pearl and Brooks are some names that are available. Kensington is the most popular variety grown in the sub-tropical and tropical regions of Australia, making up 70% of all trees planted and is available from late September to March. And this heavenly fruitfires the imagination of many a chef here who make interesting combinations and dishes example ‘chicken fry with mango as a side salad’, ‘mango tortillas’ or ‘pork cutlets served with mango chutney’ and many more.
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