JAMNAGAR: A "Reliance brand mango" is all set to hit the markets. The refinery and the petrochemicals giant is already producing the delicious fruit at its compensatory forestry project on the periphery of the Asia's largest crude oil refinery in the western coast of Jamnagar in Gujarat.

It marketed over 350 tonnes of mangoes last year mixed with other famous "Kesar" variety of the Saurashtra region and through the traditional market channel. Success has encouraged the company to consider coming out with its own brand of mangoes and market it through its own channel.

But unlike the usual image of huge trees, the Reliance forest is dotted with short mango plants being cultivated on the Israeli pattern. "We do not allow the mango trees to grow beyond 10 feet,'' a senior official said. The company has planted more than 1.08 lakh mango trees which in full bloom are expected to yield more than 3,600 tonnes of mangoes per season, including some exotic varieties that will come to the market as late as in the months of September.

30 varieties of trees

Mangoes are among some 30 varieties of fruit trees being grown besides teak and other commercial crops. Though the arid Saurashtra region is not fit for teak plantation, the company has changed the soil and irrigation pattern to grow over eight lakh teak plants.

More area covered

Reliance was required under law to create a green belt of about 700 acres around the 33 million tonnes capacity refinery located on 7,500 acres in Moti Khavdi, about 30 km from Jamnagar.

Instead, it has brought more than double the area under its forestry project planting over 30 lakh trees, besides another about 100 acres on the sea coast dedicated for growing mangroves to check salinity ingress.

``Our green belt is thicker than any other compensatory forest created in the region. You can physically count 30 lakh trees and the survival rate is as high as 92 per cent,'' a company official claimed.

The compensatory forestry will take care of the refinery expansion project of the Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL), a cent per cent subsidiary of the Reliance Industries Limited, which when commissioned will make Jamnagar the single largest location of refinery assets.

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