Photographs of mangos as big as soccer balls that were harvested in the department of Santander, Colombia went viral last week.
A local news source said that Liliana Garnica Ruíz has the giant mango crops on her farm and that the fruit was from organic crops that use a process based on soil improvement.
“These mangoes have been a blessing, they are not only healthy, but they are also large,” she said. Her farm also produces lemons, tangerines and oranges.
Garnica entered the agricultural world only five years ago when she bought land and completed a three year apprenticeship. The other two years she has been collecting the fruits of her efforts that have good quality and are based on clean production.
Last year, Colombia reached a new record by registering the world’s heaviest mango in the ‘Guinness World Records’, which was grown in Boyacá and weighed 4.25 kilograms, or about 9.4 pounds.
“I know my mango surpasses that record which surprised me and I wanted to register it, but I stopped myself. I first want to see how these fruits reach maturity and what their flavor is like,” she said.
“These mangos still need time to ripen because they were cut early, so now I’ll wait to see and let them ripen without the tree’s nutrition.”
“Organic fruit is much better than conventional agriculture and my trees are fortified with minerals and many nutrients.”
Garnica said that if she continues her production techniques and the results are the same, next year she can decide to apply and achieve that worldwide recognition. “I would be proud as a Colombian.”