DIZON EXOTIC FRUIT TREES

Philippine Panorama, Sunday, April 28, 2002

Fruits You Probably Have Not Heard and Tasted

Agri-Talk by Zac B. Sarian

This is a variety we acquired from Taiwan three years ago. We gave some propagation material to our friend Eulogio Mallari who used them to topwork an old tree. In just two years, the topworked tree is already very fruitful. We have several trees in our little farm which are now growing very well. Our fruit expert friend, Bernie Dizon, has already produced a lot of grafted planting materials that are ready for planting.

You will love to eat the Golden Queen mango whether green or ripe. As green mango, it is sweet and crisp, especially when newly picked. It is also very sweet and juicy with scant fiber when ripe. And the fruit is big and attractive. One fruit recently harvested from the tree of Eulogio Mallari was 1.45 kilos. It looks very attractive when ripe because the skin is reddish orange near the peduncle and golden yellow at the lower end of the fruit.

Certainly it is a high-value fruit. In Kuala Lumpur, we paid the equivalent of P200 for a fruit of the Gold Queen we bought in the supermarkets. In Thailand, the price of the same was equivalent to P250.

In the Philippines, if this variety could be grown commercially, it can be best seller, too. It can become a special item, especially for gift-givers.

Planting materials of the Golden Queen are now available. But buyers should make sure that the planting materials are the real Golden Queen. There are unscrupulous sellers we know who often pass off the wrong variety as the superior one. Some people may pass off the inferior King mango as Golden Queen. So, beware.