12-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Kerala farmer grafts 80 mango varieties onto a single tree
KOZHIKODE: Every summer, as the scent of ripe mangoes fills the air in Karuthaparamba village, one house stands out — not for its architecture, but for what grows in its yard. Step through the gates of Poyiil Abdurahman's home and you enter a world where borders dissolve, and mangoes from around the globe thrive together — on a single tree.
Yes, one tree. And on it, grows more than 80 different varieties of mangoes — from Kerala's own Chandrakaran and Kilichundan to Thailand's Nam Dok Mai, the American Red Palmer, Indonesia's Grampoo, and even the golden king of Chakapat.
The man behind this marvel is 59-year-old Abdu, a soft-spoken former expatriate whose quiet determination and obsession with mangoes have turned him into a local legend. 'I've grafted over 125 varieties onto this one tree. Eighty met with success. I go a little crazy when it comes to mangoes,' says Abdu. 'There's nothing in this world that can replace the goodness of a mango.'
His journey started during his 15-year stint as an expatriate, when he found ways to stay connected to farming. After returning home, he began focusing more seriously on mango cultivation.
