The Purple Mangosteen is often referred to as the “queen of fruits” – a name linked to an unsubstantiated tale that England’s Queen Victoria once offered 100 pounds sterling to any traveler who could deliver the fresh fruit to her table. Native to the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of the Indonesia, it is only in recent years that the plant has been propagated with limited success in the western hemisphere. The Purple Mangosteen, known in Bali as the Manggis, is now enjoying its short but bountiful harvest season meaning the fruit that can cost as must as Rp. 15,000 per kilo can now be found for a little as Rp. 5,000 per kilo. Abroad, when they can be found, a kilo of Mangosteen can cost Rp. 600,000 a kilogram or more. Because of the current glut of Manggis and the resulting low market prices, farmers are complaining about the seasonal drop in Manggis prices, saying that the large supply of manggis has seen prices go as low as Rp. 3,000 per kilo - a very low price indeed in an area where the delicious fruit is a main cash crop for local farmers.
