Haenam-gun Begins Full-Scale Harvest of the Tropical Fruit Queen, 'Apple Mango'

Producing High-Quality Domestic Apple Mangoes Through Early May Harvest

Mr. Sanghak Lee from Bukpyeong-myeon, Haenam-gun is harvesting apple mangoes. (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, has been conducting a pilot project for cultivating subtropical fruit trees, specifically mangoes, since 2016 to foster region-specific crops in response to global warming. Currently, six farms in the area are cultivating mangoes over an area of 1.4 hectares.

According to the county on the 28th, the mangoes being cultivated undergo early heating treatment to advance the flowering period, and harvesting is expected to be completed within May.

Unlike regular mangoes that turn yellow when ripe, the apple mango, which turns red like an apple when fully ripe, is known as the "queen of tropical fruits" due to its sweet taste, aroma, and excellent texture.

In particular, compared to imported mangoes that are harvested when half-ripe and ripened during distribution, the quality of domestically grown apple mangoes is superior, resulting in very high prices for Korean mangoes.

Until now, mangoes have only been produced in Jeju in Korea, but recently, cultivation areas have expanded to some parts of the southern coast. Harvesting is possible from the third year after planting the saplings, but cultivation methods such as temperature control by period and flowering management to adjust shipping times are very complicated, making it one of the crops with a high entry barrier.

Haenam is considered an ideal place for apple mango cultivation due to its warm climate and high sunlight hours, which reduce production costs such as heating expenses, and the large temperature difference in winter allows for artificial fruit setting, enabling adjustment of shipping times.

Most of the farmers' shipment volumes are sent to department stores and wholesale markets, and high-sugar-content mangoes are also sold through Haenam Miso, Nonghyup, and direct transactions. Currently, the wholesale market price is around 60,000 to 70,000 KRW per kilogram, which is about twice the price compared to shipments in June.

The county's Agricultural Technology Center is enhancing the competitiveness of Haenam-grown apple mangoes and promoting stable production by supporting the installation of air circulation fans and shading facilities.

A county official said, "We will actively introduce subtropical crops in response to climate change and create cultivation complexes by item to increase farmers' income, sparing no interest and support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.