By V. Shourabh

This is the story of Reliance and mangoes. Pretty sure you know the company Reliance. What crosses your head when you think of this company? Telecom, Petroleum, right?

Before we tell you what it has to do with mangoes, let’s quickly go back to 1997. One of the biggest weaknesses of Reliance at that time was the huge amount of pollution it was causing. So after seeing this as a threat from the Pollution Control Boards, Reliance began to convert the wastelands of Jamnagar into a mango orchard near the refineries as a way to control pollution.

Fast forward to 2018, that orchard, now known as ‘Dhirubhai Ambani Lakhibag Amrayee’ is Asia’s best mango orchard with more than 1.3 lakh plants of over 200 species. Within last 6-7 years there has been a total transformation of the barren waste land into lush green countryside.

Initially there was a lot of scepticism about success of mango at Jamnagar owing to high velocity winds, salinity in water and soil. However, with adoption of appropriate technology mango has become a success story. One cannot find such a large scale scientifically managed successful mango plantation anywhere in this part of the world.

The mangoes produced in that orchard are of excellent quality and are widely exported at a global level. Reliance grows 127 varieties of mango in a 600-acre green belt at its Jamnagar refinery complex, looks to beat Israel and Brazil in productivity.

Now you know why they say “Convert your weakness into strength”.