Bengal’s favourite ‘Langra aam’ (mango) may be cheaper this summer. The production of mangoes in the State is expected to be higher by 20 per cent in 2013-14.
Bengal mangoes are yet to make their appearance into the market. However, prices of varieties such as Banganapalli from Andhra Pradesh and Gulabkhas from Bihar, which are currently available, are lower by over one-third this year compared with last year.
The average price of Gulabkhas in the wholesale market is nearly Rs 50-60 a kg compared with Rs 80-100 last year, said Chandan Mahato, a fruit trader at the Mechua wholesale market in Kolkata.
The early varieties of mangoes grown in West Bengal – Bombai and Himsagar – will start coming into the market by May-end. “Once these mangoes start coming in the prices will come down further,” a fruit trader said.
High flowering
In 2012, West Bengal produced nearly 7.23 lakh tonnes (lt) of mangoes, registering a nine per cent growth over the year-ago period. The production in 2011 stood at around 6.61 lt.
According to P.K. Pramanik, Director, State Horticulture Department, the estimated rise in production is based on the early bloom situation.
However, the actual production would depend on the weather conditions.
Salil Das, owner of mango orchards at Lalgola in Murshidabad district – approximately 225 km from Kolkata – admits that early bloom may not necessarily translate into production. “A heavy storm or rainfall in the next few days can spoil the crop,” Das said.
However, the heavy flowering compared to last year makes him confident of an overall higher production come rain or shine.
Contract System
Nearly 60-70 per cent of mango cultivation in the State, particularly in the key growing districts of Malda and Murshidabad, takes place through the contract system.
Orchard owners enter into contracts for maintenance and production with traders for a period of two to three years.
This is primarily because the orchard owners have moved away from cultivation and finding it difficult to maintain the trees.
Das, for instance, has handed over his 10-acre orchard to a local trader at Rs 1 lakh a year. “This assures me a fixed return and I do not have to toil on the maintenance of the orchard. I am not even affected by the market price fluctuations,” Das said.