Costly mangoes. Why mangoes will cost way more this summer

For mango lovers this summer is going to be sour as the king of fruits is likely to be costlier by nearly 30-50 per cent due to lower production.

Some of the major mango producing states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka are reporting the likelihood of lower harvest this year due to unfavourable weather conditions.

In short supply

According to industry players and farmers in Maharashtra, unseasonal rains, humidity and extreme heat have affected the quantity and quality of Alphonso this year and the overall output is likely to go down by about 30-35 per cent.

Even though the fruit is arriving in all major APMCs in the State including the Mumbai market, the price is comparatively high. A box containing four to five dozen mangoes is sold at Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000 depending on the size and taste of the mango.

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Traders said that last year about 50,000 boxes arrived in the market every day during the peak season. On Monday over 45,000 boxes of mango arrived in Washi Market (Mumbai) and if the flow continues prices may come down.

Mixed trend for Malda

West Bengal is likely to witness a mixed trend with growing areas in North Bengal reporting a good produce due to good rainfall and those in South Bengal seeing a decline due to dry spell. Overall, the production is likely to remain at around 10 lakh tonne this year, similar to last year.

According to Ujjal Saha, President of Malda Mango Merchants’ Association, there is a very strong demand for mangoes and prices are likely to remain firm. “If the weather conditions remain favorable and there are no untimely rains then we expect production to remain at similar levels like last year. We expect prices to remain firm backed by a good demand,” he said. 

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh account for 10 lakh acres of mango crop, with a combined production of around 60 lakh tonnes. Prices of mangoes in the retail market have shot up in the backdrop of feeble supplies. Vendors are selling the fruit at Rs 150-165 a kg as against Rs 100-120 a kg last year.

Telangana produces 12.7 lakh tonnes of mangoes worth Rs 1,535 crore in about three lakh acres. Mango production in Telangana has witnessed a slump of about 40 per cent this year because of a virulent virus attack. This will result in shortage in supplies and increase in prices, S Ranga Reddy, a mango farmer from Warangal district said. The State consumes only a fraction (Rs 30 crore) of the mangoes that it produces exporting the bulk of it to other states. 

Karnataka, another large mango producer is also reporting a slump in production. Excess rains last year in the state has impaired the physiology of mango, thereby affecting the production, said S V Hittalamani, a horticulture expert. The flowering was good raising expectations of a good crop. But the vegetative flush that followed destroyed the flowers and the fruit setting was very poor. As a result, the crop that could be harvested is about 30 per cent only, he added.

Trade sources also estimate that the crop would be lower this year in the state. As against last year’s 13-14 lakh tonnes, the mango crop this year is likely to be around 5-7 lakh tonnes, sources said.

Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the key producing regions, is forecasting a 30 per cent dip in production this year. The state is likely to produce only around 15 lakh tonne of mangoes this year, as against an average production of around 40-45 lakh tonne. 

According to Insram Ali, President of All India Mango Growers Association, price of mangoes at the time of arrival is expected to be up by nearly 50 per cent due to lower crop. UP mangoes typically start arriving by early June and prices are likely to be up at around Rs 50-60 a kg, as compared to Rs 30-40 a kg same period last year.

Inputs from Kurmanath/Hyderabad, Viswanath Kulkarni/Bangalore and Radheshyam Jadhav/Pune