End of days nigh for Dhuliya Malda mangoes

The 'Dudhiya Malda' of Digha, one of the best mangoes of the 'Langra' variety, is on the verge of extinction with less than 1,000 trees remaining.

With its thin skin, small seed, less fibre, milking yellow pulp and a unique sweet aroma, the Dudhiya Malda was considered among the best by connoisseurs. "Thanks to rampant construction, the sprawling orchards are now reduced to a few hundred trees, which too are facing a threat," says Mahesh Kumar, one of the few whose orchards are left in Digha.

"When multistorey buildings started coming up, the Dudhiya Malda trees began disappearing," Fr Robert Athickal, founder and director of Digha-based Tarumitra, a nationwide students' organisation, told DNA. He adds that nature has a role to play as well. "We planted almost 500 saplings on the St Xavier's College campus here, but less than a 100 remain today," he says.

The reason behind it, and his theory is supported by botanists and scientists in the city, is that nature is rejecting monoculture. "Studies show that the Digha Malda trees came into existence about a hundred years ago and were the only trees planted in the area," he said. Citing examples of coconut monoculture in Kerala or death of Sheesham trees in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh around the turn of the century, Fr Athickal said, "Nature wants polyculture and it may be a reason that the mango trees are being rejected to maintain natural balance." Environmentalists feel the government should step in, and soon, if the popular varieties have to be saved.

REVIVAL EFFORTS

• In 2016, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar directed the planting of two saplings each on the campus of every government bungalow in Bihar
   
• “The saplings can be planted outside where the conditions are similar, and brought back a few decades later. That may be one way out,” said Fr Athickal