Come mango season, the stretch of road from the Fire Station Centre to Srinivasa Mahal draws huge crowds of fruit lovers. With the ‘king of fruit’ a cynosure of all eyes, the road becomes a beehive of activity. Vendors with the fruits in varying shapes in rows on the pushcarts, line up along the road. They are seen doing brisk business from dawn to dusk. Mango lovers crowd around the pushcarts, selecting the fruit of their choice and indulging in bargaining spree.
As the season sets in sometime early in May, various types of mangoes find their way to the place. Initially, ‘Chinnarasalu’, the juicy variety grown in Nuzivid area, hits the market, followed by ‘Banginapalli’, ‘Pedarasalu’ and finally ‘Collector kaya’, a breed that comes from Chittoor, at the fag-end of the season.
The mango growers from Nuzvid bring the fruit in autos for sales in bulk early in the morning. The vendors buy the fruit for retail sales. Around 50-60 vendors, coming from Denduluru, Unguturu and even far-off places like Tadepalligudem, turn the area into a ‘mango bazar’ with all the attending hustle and bustle during the season. The vendors reach the place at 3 a.m. in the morning and stay put till 11 p.m. in pursuit of their business fortunes.
“Rain or shine, there is no change in our schedule during the season,” said Suresh, one of the vendors. Compared to last year, the margins for the vendors are not very encouraging this year, he says. The fruit prices have shot through the roof this year on account of a steep fall in the yield because of fruit loss at the flowering stage caused by heavy rain and dew. As a result, the landed cost of a ‘paraka’ (14 fruits) of Chinnarasalu ranges anywhere between Rs 150-200. Thus, mango, which was once within reach of the common man, has gradually become out of reach in view of its soaring prices, rues Suresh.
The stretch of the road wears a deserted look after the mango season ends, by the last week of July. It again becomes a normal bazaar where a small number of guava and papaya fruit vendors are seen.
