Varieties ranging from the aromatic Sindoor to the sweet Alphonso are showcased at the Indian Mango Festival (Al Hamba Exhibition), which opened yesterday at Souq Waqif in Doha.To run until June 21, the second edition of the festival features flavourful favourites of Indian mangoes at the Eastern Square of the popular destination from 4pm-9pm daily, except on public holidays when the closing is at 10pm.The festival is organised by the Private Engineering Office (PEO) in co-operation with the Indian embassy.The festival was inaugurated by the PEO’s Technical Affairs Department director Abdulrahman Zayed al-Nuaimi and Indian ambassador Vipul in the presence of other Qatari officials and ambassadors of various countries.“The festival has 55 varieties of mangoes along with cakes, sweets, ice creams and juices,” Khalid Saif al-Suwaidi, general supervisor of Al Hamba Exhibition, told Gulf Times. “We invite all to relish the mango varieties and products at the festival.”Most famous Indian mango varieties, including Rajapuri, Malgova, Neelam, Alphonso, Kesar, Badami, Mallika, Imam Pasand, Kalapadi, Totapuri, Chakkarakkutti and Sindoor are featured in the expo.Al-Suwaidi said that the expo features 38 Indian companies, with fresh mangoes flown in exclusively fresh for the festival.The quality of the mangoes is checked by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to ensure safety.The turnout of visitors and the sales, according to al-Suwaidi, are expected to increase in the second edition of the festival.“Last year, we had 44 varieties and the sales crossed 200 tonnes,” he said.“Sales are likely to go up owing to various factors,” he continued. “Large quantities of mango are flown. We have planes arriving daily especially for the exhibition. We will achieve record numbers this year.”Al-Suwaidi noted that the prices are moderate and competitive because of the presence of several companies.One of the attractions of the festival is the costliest Miyazaki mangoes.Called the “Egg of the Sun”, this ultra-rare mango is sold at QR666 per kg at the pavilion of LuLu Group.Al-Suwaidi added that the Indian embassy played a role in organising the event by inviting and supervising the companies and the products.

Shafeeq Alingal
Shafeeq Alingal is a Staff Reporter with Gulf Times. He has mainstream media experience of twelve years. Health, environment and wildlife are among his specialties.
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