Mango — Rataul

Rataul (آم رتول) is the small, intensely sweet mango that started a legend — and an international tug-of-war. It takes its name from Rataul village in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, where the variety was developed and multiplied from the early twentieth century onward, and it is the direct parent of Pakistan’s celebrated Anwar Ratol.^1,2,3 The fruit is modest in size but eats far above its weight: orange, fibreless pulp, a captivating aroma, and very high sweetness packed into a mango that often weighs no more than a tennis ball. You grow Rataul for eating quality and reputation, not tonnage.

A mango from Rataul village

Unlike many South Asian cultivars whose origins are vague, Rataul has a documented home address. It originated in Rataul village (also spelled Ratol) in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, where local grower Affaq Faridi is recorded as planting and propagating it from about 1917 onward.³ The variety was distinctive enough to earn an Indian Geographical Indication (GI) tag as “Rataul mango,” with the traditional production belt centred on Rataul and the neighbouring villages of Shekhpuri, Vinaypur, Mubarikpur, Tigri and Lahchoda in Tehsil Khekra — roughly 85 hectares and over 10,000 trees.³ That strong legal and historical linkage to a single village, combined with the fruit’s small size and intense aroma, is what sets Rataul apart from the larger commercial workhorses.^1,3

The Anwar Ratol connection

Rataul’s fame is bound up with Partition. After 1947, Urdu-speaking migrants carried grafts and saplings of the Rataul mango across the new border into Pakistan, where the same genetic cultivar took root in Punjab and Sindh provinces and became known in the trade as Anwar Ratol (or Anwar Rataul).^1,2 Today both countries lay claim to the variety’s luscious legacy, and the dispute over which side “owns” Rataul has flared up more than once as a point of culinary pride.¹ For a grower, the practical takeaway is simple: the original Indian Rataul and the Pakistani Anwar Ratol are the same fruit, so descriptions of one apply to the other.

Season, size and appearance

Rataul is prized above all for a very short, very early flush. The cultivar shows two recognised types where it is grown. The famous early-season type ripens in just a few weeks across May and June — more fragile, but described as the more popular and sweeter of the two. A more stable late-season type, with thicker skin and a little less sweetness, extends the harvest into July and August.² Pakistani growers marketing Anwar Ratol report an overall season of June–August, with peak demand in late June and the first week of July.⁴ Against the crowd of mangoes that peak in mid-to-late summer, that early window is exactly what makes Rataul special.

The fruit itself is small to medium, with credible sources placing typical weight in the 140–250 gram range — noticeably smaller than commercial heavyweights such as Chaunsa or Sindhri.^3,4 The GI specification describes it as medium-sized at roughly 140–220 g, while Pakistani orchards call it small at 150–250 g.^3,4 The skin is greenish-yellow when unripe, turning fully bright yellow at maturity, and it is famously thin, soft and easily torn — one reason the early fruit is so delicate to ship.⁴

Flavour, flesh and best uses

Cut a ripe Rataul and you understand the fuss. The pulp is a deep, luscious orange, essentially fibre-free, carrying a strong, captivating fragrance and very high sweetness.^1,3 This is a dessert mango first and foremost — eaten fresh, out of hand or scooped from the half, while the aroma is at its peak. Because the early flush is so tender and short-lived, it rarely sits around long enough for processing; its whole value is in being eaten at the height of ripeness. On the farm gate that translates to real premium value: modest yields and a short season, offset by eating quality and name recognition that few mangoes can match.¹

Growing Rataul

The general requirements — deep, well-drained soil, a hot growing season, and a dry spell to trigger flowering — are the same for every Mangifera indica cultivar and are covered in full on the mango species profile. What matters specifically for Rataul is its early, tender crop: always plant a grafted, named tree, since seedlings will not reproduce its quality, and plan some wind or storm shelter, because the delicate early fruit is easily knocked down before harvest. Light pruning after harvest helps manage alternate bearing on this naturally modest-cropping variety. Grow it for the prize fruit, not the weight on the scales.

Sources

1. NDTV — Why India and Pakistan stake claim to Rataul mango’s luscious legacy (origin, Anwar Ratol link, premium status).
2. Anwar Ratol — Wikipedia (origin in Rataul village, migration to Pakistan, early vs late flush, May–August season).
3. Rataul Mango Geographical Indication specification (UP Krishi Vipran) (GI history from 1917, production belt, fruit size 140–220 g, fibreless flesh).
4. MMA Farms — Anwar Ratol mango (season June–August, size 150–250 g, thin yellow skin).