Mango growers who started their first mango farm on the outskirts of Katherine, have been awarded the commercial rights to three new varieties of the much-loved fruit.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities in Queensland, Mark Furner, said the Manbulloo Group's marketing, management and export company, Mango Road, had been selected to manage the launch of the new varieties.
"Mango Road's proven and unrivalled track record in all aspects of the mango supply chain make them a standout choice to commercialise the new varieties," Mr Furner said.
"Their wealth of knowledge and experience in product development, growing, harvesting, quality management, packing, branding, marketing, supply chain management, export and ongoing research and development, perfectly positions them to take these three excellent mango varieties forward.
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"Commercialising these new varieties will mean mango lovers will have more choice when shopping and will also drive growth in business and employment opportunities in regional Queensland."
Mango Road managing director Marie Piccone said the new varieties (NMBP-1201, NMBP-1243 and NMBP-4069) would complement the iconic Kensington Pride variety.
"Kensington Pride is Australia's favourite mango variety, and its delicious flavour will be expanded as Kensington Pride is a parent of all three varieties," Ms Piccone said.
"The new varieties display characteristics such as higher productivity in some regions, earlier and later fruit maturity and harvest timing, and an attractive appearance and good shelf life.
"Their flavour profiles are similar to Kensington Pride, providing an eating experience so loved by consumers in Australia and globally.
"Mango Road is excited to commercialise the new varieties which showcase our commitment to delivering the next generation of mango varieties to delight consumers and sustain profitability for growers."
Mr Furner said the new varieties were developed during the National Mango Breeding Program to address the limitations of existing varieties.
"The three new varieties were chosen from 1850 new hybrid lines ... and can truly be described as elite," Mr Furner said.
"They have been through rigorous development and assessment processes so that consumers can be sure of their quality and we can be confident that they will add to our reputation for producing safe and delicious food."
Manbullo's oldest and largest farm, Manbulloo Katherine, is home to 65,000 mango trees.
The farm occupies four square kilometres and is located 22 kilometres outside of Katherine, just around the corner from Manbulloo's Ballongilly farm which is situated on the other side of the Katherine River and is home to 23,000 trees.
In recent years the company has expanded and now owns seven farms spanning the Queensland and Northern Territory regions of Northern Australia. Manbulloo also exports a portion of its crop each year to numerous overseas customers through its subsidiary company, Mango Road.
Annie Hesse
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
