Mangoes in Sri Lanka

The Mango Project in Sri Lanka is a collaboration of three universities: the University of Guelph, Ontario in Canada; the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in India; and the Industrial Technology Institute in Sri Lanka. The teams are using technology to reduce post-harvest losses and to increase the shelf-life of mangoes.

Six sub-projects are being funded by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund. The two-year Mango Project from 2012 to 2014 aims to use a natural anti-microbial agent and nanotechnology to develop smart packaging that reduces post-harvest losses.

In Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, many mango trees are neglected – not trimmed – and infected with pests. Mango Project will work with growers in Jaffna to share post-harvest technology. Although there are between 17 and 20 varieties of mangoes in Jaffna, the Project will focus on the well-known karthakolomban variety as well as TJC mangoes grown in plantations.

Men pick and bring mangoes to collection centres but most mango handlers before re-distribution are women who sort and repack the fruit into boxes. So the expected outcomes of the project are (1) a smart delivery system that can form the inner lining of fruit cartons, dividers and wraps, (2) a reduction of post-harvest wastage, (3) higher income for growers, (4) better jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for women, and (5) a way to recycle waste.

Indra Jayasekera, in A Taste of Sri Lanka, has the following Sri Lanka Sweet Mango Chutney:

225g mangoes
100g sugar
2 garlic cloves
3 slices ginger
2 tspn. mustard seeds
2 cloves
2 cardamom
75ml vinegar
half tspn. chili powder
pinch of salt
50g sultanas

Peel and slice mangoes and place in a bowl for 3 hours with half the sugar. Crush the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, cardamom, and cloves together. Mix these ingredients together and add vinegar, chili powder, and salt. Put the mixture in a pan and add the remaining sugar. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Add mango slices. Mix well and cook for a further 10 minutes. Mix well and stir in sultanas. Serve.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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