Japan's Snowy Mango Farm: Producing the world's most expensive mangoes at nearly Rs 19,000 each
PTC News Desk: Hiroyuki Nakagawa is the farmer behind the world's most expensive mangoes, priced at nearly Rs 19,000 each. Nakagawa's farm is located in the snowy Tokachi region of Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido.
He started growing mangoes in 2011, never expecting that his experiment in sustainable farming would yield such luxurious fruit.
The process Nakagawa uses to grow his mangoes is a combination of natural resources unique to Hokkaido, namely snow and onsen hot springs. He stores snow from the winter months to use in the summer to cool his greenhouses, tricking the fruits into delaying blooming. In winter, he uses natural hot springs to warm the greenhouse and harvest around 5,000 mangoes out of season.
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This allows the mangoes to ripen during the cooler months, without the need for pesticides, as there are fewer insects around. The low-humidity climate in Hokkaido also reduces the need for mold-removing chemicals.
Nakagawa's sustainable approach to mango farming is an added bonus to the taste, which he claims is much sweeter than normal mangoes, with a higher sugar content of about 15 degrees brix. The fruit also boasts a buttery smooth texture, free of stringiness.
The novelty factor of how they're produced has intrigued customers and retailers alike, making them a hard-to-get item. In 2014, one of his mangoes was displayed at the department store Isetan in Tokyo, and it later sold for almost $400.
Nakagawa's clients include high-end restaurants and retailers such as City'super in Hong Kong. He ships his mangoes abroad and has even caught the attention of tea company Lupicia, which approached him about using his leaves for mango tea.
Nakagawa isn't satisfied yet and aims to raise other tropical produce using the same method to turn Tokachi into a fruit production hub in winter and give the local economy a boost. He has his sights set on growing peaches next, another juicy fruit known for thriving in warmer climates.
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- With inputs from agencies
