VIJAYAWADA: This year too, the ‘King of Fruits’ mango has become dear to common man as low production levels have pushed its prices, according to fruit traders and farmers at State’s largest wholesale fruit market at Nunna. Traders are selling mangoes at 1.5 times higher price in the local markets, while growers anticipate prices to increase by 30-50 per cent as untimely rainfall affected the growth at flowering stage resulting in the fruit drop.
In Krishna district, mango orchards were spread over 1.6 lakh acres in Nuzvid, Agiripalli, Reddigudem, Adavinekkalam, Mylavaram, Gampalagudem and A Konduru. Various fruit varieties such as ‘Totapuri’, ‘Banginapalli’ and ‘Collector’ were raised in these mandals. Every year, mango lovers from New Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh order door delivery of fruits.
However, the traders who export the fruit from Nunna Mango Market to other parts of the country are purchasing the fruit from the farmers at a meagre price citing poor yield and size of the fruit. In Vijayawada, the price of the popular varieties of fruit like ‘Totapuri’, ‘Banginapalli’ and ‘Collector’ is ranging anywhere between Rs 400 and Rs 800 a dozen which is said to be higher than last year.
Among all, Banginapalli, Suvarnarekha and Rasalu seem to be in demand from the fruit lovers. Pariya and Collector mangoes (in its raw form) are used in the preparation of traditional ‘Avakai’ pickles.
Banginapalli mangoes are sold at an exorbitant price of `500 a dozen and between `250 and `300 a kg in the retail market.
However, the wholesale vendors lined up near the Rajiv Gandhi Vegetable Market are not so happy as the few customers, who walk up to them to buy raw mangoes are leaving the premises after knowing about the prices. But for the die-hard fans of mangoes the price is just a number.
S Anuradha, a homemaker said, ‘’The price of raw mango is around Rs 50, which is quite high when compared to last year, but we cannot control our desire to consume the fruit in summer. After bargaining with the trader, I purchased a dozen raw mangoes at Rs 40 each to prepare pickles.’’
‘’For the past few years, natural calamities and climatic changes have been wreaking havoc during the flowering stage in Krishna district, which accounts for lion’s share of mangoes in the State. This year, the business has been progressing on a dull note as majority of the traders from North India are yet to arrive in the city. We are expecting the business to improve after completion of elections in other States,’’ said Nunna Mango Market Growers Association secretary S Venkateswara Rao.