Meet the mango master Shri Kishan Suman: The genius farmer behind the unusual ‘Sadabahar’ mango that blooms 3 times a year

India's love for mangoes runs deep, as the sweet, juicy, pulpy, and ‘reli-cious’, undisputed king of fruits comes with over 1,500 varieties lighting up our summers just once a year, and lovers wait with bated breath to grab a bite of the orangish-yellow fruit!

But imagine savoring that Alphonso-like delight not just once a year, but three times.

Might sound nearly impossible, right?

But a farmer from Rajasthan has brought this magic to life and began from his own backyard!

Meet Shri Kishan Suman, the farmer who produced magical all-season mangoes

Shri Kishan Suman, a 52-year-old farmer from Girdharpura village, 15 km from Kota, Rajasthan, grew up tilling rice and wheat. Unstable prices pushed him to switch. In 1995, he dove into floriculture, growing roses, mogra, and thuja for three years. And then he produced rose plants with seven colours on one stem.

"I thought if I could work with roses, why not with mangoes? I acquired mango stones of different varieties and nurtured them," Suman told The Better India. He grafted saplings onto rootstock, spotting a tree flowering thrice yearly in January-February, June-July, and September-October.

Birth of 'Sadabahar Mango'

Around 2000, Suman nurtured that special tree into 'Sadabahar', a dwarf, disease-resistant variety like Alphonso in taste, fibre-free quality, size, and saffron-orange hue. Unlike Baramasi or Dofasla, it excels in table quality.

Word spread via Honey Bee Network volunteer Sundaram Verma to the National Innovation Foundation (NIF). "NIF asked me not to sell or gift Sadabahar saplings, and for 11 long years I followed their advice," Suman says, as NIF tested it nationwide. Kamal Hissaria's farm near Kota yielded fruits from gifted plants in 2012, to whom he had gifted a few plants.

Sadabahar mangoes dangle ripe on the branch, with their vibrant allure, much like the varieties Suman pioneered.

Suman has accolades to his name

In March 2017, Suman received the Farm Innovation Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan during NIF's 9th Biennial Grassroots event. Sadabahar now grows in Amrit Udyan there and is registered under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act.

Mango trees typically take about five summers to start bearing fruit, but growers don't mind the wait for Sadabahar. Its unique qualities make every bite worthwhile!