Image: Gyeongnam province ()
Apple mango, a subtropical fruit tree cultivated by Gyeongsangnam-do as a regionally specialized crop, began to be shipped from Haman-gun in mid-April.
Mango is rich in a variety of physiologically active substances and nutrients, so it is called a superfruit, which refers to fruits with high health value, and has excellent shape, color, taste, and nutrition.
Mango is a tropical fruit originating in Southeast Asia such as India and Vietnam. There are hundreds of varieties around the world. However, for mango grown in Korea, the ‘Irwin‘ variety called ‘apple mango‘ accounts for most.
In Korea, it began to be cultivated in Jeju Island in the early 2000s, and, starting from Tongyeong in Gyeongnam, recently, it is being cultivated as a new high-income subtropical crop in Haman and Gimhae.
According to the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, the area of apple mango cultivation in Gyeongnam has increased from 1ha in 5 farms in 2010 to 9.8ha in 27 farms as of 2022. Demand for domestic mangoes is steadily increasing due to changes in consumption trends and quality improvement and differentiation compared to imported ones, and thus the cultivated area is expected to further increase.
Gyeongnam is less affected by the cold continental high pressure in winter, the warmest in the whole country except for Jeju Island due to the influence of temperate warm currents, and abundant sunshine, so it has an advantage in producing high-quality mango fruits.
In addition, in 2021, apple mango from Gyeongnam was selected as one of 36 regional specialized crops for the national intensive nurturing of regional agriculture promotion project hosted by the Rural Development Administration.
