Who's selling mangoes? I'll buy some!

(Baonghean) - Every time I go on a business trip to the mountainous region, I always make sure to buy some local specialties like taro, Mong cucumbers, mangoes, mustard greens, and sometimes even a pair of Quy ducks! Buying them directly from the source, and having a local acquaintance to "point the way," I don't have to worry about mistakenly buying "imported" goods from the lowlands, as is the unfortunate situation for many people. Yet, sometimes even the locals scratch their heads in defeat when asked to buy local specialties. For example, my friend in Tuong Duong had a problem buying mangoes...

The mangoes from Tuong Duong are famously delicious. This variety takes a very long time to grow before it starts bearing fruit. Because of its slow growth, the mangoes are tiny, often have dark spots, and release a lot of sap. Generally speaking, they don't look very appealing at first glance, but anyone who has tasted them once will surely never forget them. They are sweet and fragrant, each bite leaving you wanting more. That's why, during mango season, the price per kilogram skyrockets, yet still can't meet demand. Later, people imported a new variety, a hybrid mango. This variety grows quickly, produces larger fruit, yields a good harvest, and has a decent flavor, so people planted it quite a lot. To be fair, although this new variety doesn't carry the brand name of the original Tuong Duong mango, it still provides a stable and relatively good source of income for the local people.

If the story of the mango tree had ended there, it wouldn't have been surprising. But unfortunately, "man proposes, God disposes." Because the original mango tree and the newly planted one were close together, during the flowering and fruiting season, wind and natural pollination agents like insects "accidentally interbred" the two varieties. As a result, the amount of purebred mangoes, retaining their original flavor, gradually decreased. So much so that when I went on a business trip, my friend took me to a famous village known for preserving the "authentic" Tuong Duong mango variety, with the most accurate and delicious flavor. My friend had to rely on the village chief, and in the end, he could only buy mangoes from one single household. This shows that mangoes, and other specialty agricultural products from the highlands in general, sometimes lose some of their original flavor by the time they reach consumers...

So how can we restore, maintain, and expand the characteristic plants and animals that represent the identity and brand of each locality? The ever-expanding market with abundant supply has raised consumer standards and demands for goods; this is an inevitable law of economic development. To achieve sustainable development with high value, there is no other way than to focus on product quality rather than quantity and output. "That's the theory, but it's very difficult to implement. A hybrid mango tree that's currently yielding a stable harvest – even if not high – now needs to be cut down to plant a native mango tree. That's like starting from scratch! Then there's a long waiting period for the tree to grow before it can be harvested. That's a long-term economic approach that not everyone considers, or even if they do, they don't dare to do it," my friend explained while peeling a mango (a hybrid, haha).

Completely eradicating hybrid mangoes seems almost impossible, especially given the limited economic resources of the local people. However, at least what can be done is to preserve and propagate the original mango varieties – provided that their growing environment doesn't interfere with that of other varieties to ensure purity. Then, gradually, we can "revitalize" the mango variety over the long term. I suggested this idea to my friend, and we both nodded in agreement. While eating mangoes, we concluded: "No matter how we innovate, to what extent, we must ultimately preserve our unique characteristics and specialties. That's the most valuable thing – both in terms of spiritual and economic value!"

Hai Trieu