Chennaiites are enjoying mangoes brought directly from farms in multiple States

reStore

Started in 2008, reStore is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.with the mission to “connect with the sources of our food. To know where it’s coming from. To support the local organic farmer.” At this non-profit direct-from farmer organic shop in Kottivakkam, the best seller is imam pasand. “Sales has been slow due to shorter store timings. We have stocks of Banganapalli, sendhura and alphonso (from Karnataka).

By June first week we are expecting malgova, karpooravalli, malliga and pether to arrive,” says R Karthik of this NGO. Karthik says that sales have been slow this year with the lockdown. “It takes a week to sell 50 kilos of Banganapalli. Last year,despite the lockdown, the sales was fairly good as we were open for a longer duration,” he says.

@reStore, Kottivakkam, To order, call 24921093

OFM

At the Organic Farmers Market, Thiruvanmiyur, there are four varieties that are currently available, imam pasand, Banganapalli, sendhura and malliga. N Seethalakshmi, of OFM, says that as the season started late, they will be getting other varieties of mangoes during the first week of June. Mangoes are sourced from organic farmers in and around Dharmapuri, Salem and Thiruvallur districts.

Even though the State produces many indigenous varieties of mangoes such as malgova, senthura and rumani, most customers prefer Banganapalli, she says.

@Organic Farmers Market, Thiruvanmiyur. To order, call: 6380169943

Nammaboomi

Launched in 2014, Nammaboomi is the brainchild of Arulpriya Senthil Kumar. She quit her IT job and decided to focus on solid waste management and elimination of single-use plastic, which is the mission of the NGO she founded. “Few years ago, I happened to meet S Jayalakshmi, who has been single-handedly doing organic farming, and I was inspired by her commitment. During the lockdown last year, I began to assist her in sourcing agri products from organic farms and selling it to a dedicated group of customers in Chennai,” says Arulpriya.

Jayalakshmi, who is 54 years old, began organic farming 18 years ago, and procured 10 acres of agricultural land at Kollapalayam, in Thiruvallur district. She has leased out another 25 acres of arid land and converted it into an organic farm.

“I lived in Canada and other countries for 14 years and when I realised the amount of chemicals and toxins that finds its way into our food, I decided to return to India and take up organic farming. After 18 years of toil and hardship my farm is self sufficient. As this area is a paddy belt, I cultivate organic rice and vegetables,” says Jayalakshmi. She raises ducks, chicken, cows and donkeys on her farm and only animal manure is used as fertilizer. She lives with her 14 year old daughter at her farm, while her husband lives and works abroad. She makes weekly trips to Nammaboomi, at MRC Nagar, driving her mini truck filled with 300 kilograms of imam pasand mangoes. “As an organic farmer I wish to be self-reliant, so I drive all kinds of heavy vehicles and deliver mangoes which I source from organic farms adopting best practices, that too only imam pasand from Ellammma Kandigai, Oothukottai and Nagalapuram,” she says.

@www.nammaboomi.com, seasonal organic mangoes and greens. For information, call 9840894992.

Mango Point

Mango Point, Chennai, is an export company but due to the pandemic they have paused export and instead started retailing locally. The company used to export 150 metric tonnes of mangoes to Singapore, West Asia, North America and Europe.

Prasanna Venkatrathnam, partner, Mango Point, says that they offer 15 varieties of mangoes beginning from March till August. The mangoes are sourced from 100 farmers across Tamil Nadu and also from Andhra and Karnataka.

“Our mangoes are naturally ripened, carbide free, chemical free and of export quality. We have an integrated packhouse at Athipattu village in Thiruvallur district, where the mangoes are packed as per international standards and directly sent to customers who place the order via the app or on our website,” says Prasanna.

Mangoes are sold in three types of boxes, 1 kg, 3 kg or 5 kg. Mango Point is popular for alphonso (Badami and Ratnagiri), jawari, kalapadi, pether, malgova, swarnarekha, imam pasand and Banganapalli. Mangoes such as pedda rasalu and chinna rasalu and dasheri will be available in mid-June.

@Mango Point, Pallavaram. Log on to www.mangopoint.in or call 66205755.

Cholayil Farm to Store

At the 85-acre mango grove at Vengal village in Thiruvallur, the Cholayil family grows close to 45 varieties of mango. In summer, the mangoes are harvested twice a week and brought to the Farm to Home shop at Anna Nagar. This year the harvest began during the second week of May. “This grove is 25 years old and is the brainchild of my late father-in-law. We adapt organic farming practices and grow native vegetables,” says Jayadevi Cholayil, who along with her husband manages the farm. During Cyclone Vardah in 2016, 275 trees fell, out of which only 35 could be saved. They then planted saplings of mango varieties of Tamil Nadu.

“This year we have a late season and the harvest has been moderate. Normally mangoes will be ready for harvest by mid-April but this year it has been delayed by two weeks. Unusual rains in January and February had delayed the flowering season, resulting in a delay in harvest. Over 50% of the mangoes grown in Cholayil farm is Banganapalli. Sendhura, kesar and alphonso are the other popular varieties we offer,” she says.

@Cholayil Farm to Table Store, Anna Nagar. To order, call 7550155005