Every summer, Irwin mangoes, grown around the Jingmian Reservoir in Nanhua District are hotly sought-after items during mango season. Most of the top quality Irwin mangoes in the area, which are locally called ‘fruit of the sun’ are pre-ordered for export to Japan.
Local farmer Wang Wen-rui, he reserves some of his mangoes for the domestic market, but he only sells them to customers he is familiar with. This year, some of his “fruit of the sun” will be delivered to Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che for sale at a charity on July 13.
Wang said that most people know that mangoes grown in this area of Tainan, with its chalk soil and mudstone, are the sweetest and most fragrant despite their smaller size, according to the news outlet.
The 60-hectares-area yields about 3,000 tons of the Irwin mangoes every year and has brought moderate wealth to the once-poor hill community.
According to Wang, Irwin mangoes grown in the area are frequent winners of mango contests. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Director Lee Chao-tang said that in order to be labeled ‘fruit of the sun’, an Irwin mango has to meet several criteria. It must, for instance, weigh at least 550 grams, be ripe and red in color, and have a sweetness level of 15 Brics.
