~~~~~~~~~~ Memories are ~~~~~~~~~~: Visit to Mango Plantation in Cirebon, West Java

Monday, April 15, 2013

Visit to Mango Plantation in Cirebon, West Java

The Mangga Gedong Gincu - Trademark of Cirebon Regency, West Java, Indonesia

The mango fruit is a one of my favourite tropical fruits. It is widely grown in many Asian countries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, during the last 5 years, the annual global production is estimated at 35.3 million metric tonnes. India is the largest producer, with an annual output of 14.12 million metric tonnes, constituting about 40% of total global production. It is followed by China with an average annual production of 4.14 million metric tonnes, and Thailand producing an annual average of 2.6 million metric tonnes. However, only about 3.4% of the production is exported, with the rest being consumed within the producing countries. The major mango exporting countries are Mexico, India, Thailand and Indonesia, while the major importing countries are United States of America, Netherlands, Germany and United Kingdom.

According to my research (http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mango-fruit.html) the mango fruit has the following health benefits:

Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds.

Mango fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. Together; these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Fresh mango is a good source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 156 mg of potassium while just 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain. It also controls homocystiene levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke.

Further, it composes moderate amounts of copper. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as co-factors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

Additionally, mango peel is also rich in phytonutrients, such as the pigment antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols.

In 2011, I had the opportunity of making an official visit to a large mango plantation in Cirebon, Indonesia. Cirebon city is located in West Java. It is about 130 km from Bandung and 258 km from Jakarta. Indonesia is the fourth largest mango producer in the world, with an annual production of 1.92 million metric tonnes.

The plantation I visited has a number of mango varieties, including the Harum Manis, Cho Kan Nan and Indonesia’s famous Mangga Gedong Gincu (or Mango Lipstick). The Gedong Lipstick Mango is one of the mango cultivars that commands the highest fruit prices compared to other mangoes in Indonesia. The fruit shape is somewhat round, medium size; fruit skin colour is bright yellow to purplish. Its fruit flesh colour is red to bright yellow with a sweet taste and has a sweet fragrance. According to the plantation management, this particular Mangga Gedong Gincu is the trademark of Cirebon Regency, Indramayu and Majalengka in West Java. This variety could be a competitor for the mango producers in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Israel, Mexico and other countries.
The fruits are harvested, cleaned and packed within the plantation and transported to markets in Bandung, Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia. The packaging is very simple and cost effective as it is mainly targeted at the local markets in Indonesia. Better cardboard carton packaging is used mainly for the export markets and for the supermarkets.