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Mangoes up for grabs
It is time for the 'King among fruits' to adorn the roadside.
Mango - the very mention of the name is mouth-watering - is now ubiquitous. Wherever you go in the metro, heaps of this `king among fruits' greet you thanks to the bounteous harvest this season. Needless to say, you are willing to be tempted to have a go at it. Why then wait? With its prices dipping to an all-time low, the fruit is up for grabs.
Botanically known as Mangifera Indica, it is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, and is believed to have originated in India over 4,000 years ago. The fruit finds mention in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
India is the largest exporter of mangoes in the world. It is followed by Mexico and Pakistan. Andhra Pradesh is the second largest producer of mangoes in India next only to Uttar Pradesh.
India is home to several varieties of mangoes. Each variety has a unique taste and flavour. The commercial varieties of mangoes include: Banginapalli, Totapuri (known locally as `Collector'), Suvarnarekha(Lalpari), Kothapalli Kobbari, Chinna Rasam, Cheruku Rasam, Pedda Rasam, Mallika (all these varieties are available locally), Neelam. Alphonso, Kesar, Langra, Dashehari, Fazili, Chousa, Ratole, Kaju, Mulgoa, Jahangir, Rumani, Himayat, Khatta Meetha, Panchadara Kalasa, Manjeera, Amrapali, Arkapuneet and Sindhu.
The main mango producing areas in the State are: Nuzvid, Mylavaram, Tiruvuru and Vijayawada in Krishna district, Koduru, Putturu and Tirupati in Chittoor district, Kakinada, Kothapeta and Rajahmundry in East Godavari and Narsapur, Eluru and Tadepalligudem in West Godavari.
The metro gets its mangoes mostly from Vijayawada and to a lesser extent from the neighbouring Vizianagaram district. The mango growers and traders, however, complain of poor sales despite a steep decline in prices.
Photos: K.R. Deepak
Problem of plenty? The traders await customers.
"The prices of the Banginapalli and Suvarnarekha varieties which are the most popular ones in the metro have gone down by 50 per cent. The best quality Banginapalli variety (big size) is being sold at Rs.40 a dozen now as against Rs.80 last year," says a representative of the Poorna Market Fruit Merchants Association, Y. Satyanarayana.
Similarly, the price of Suvarnarekha has come down to Rs.30 from Rs.50. People seem to be reluctant to buy though the prices have hit the rock bottom. The price of Banginapalli was Rs.13,000 per tonne last year and this year it is only Rs.3,000.
"We supply mangoes to the retailers at LIC junction, Diamond Park and Siripuram and other areas," says Satyanarayana. "Rythu Bazars procure about 60 per cent of the stock from us, while the remaining 40 per cent comes from owners of mango groves in villages."
The mango sellers at the Ambedkar Fruit Market near LIC junction say, "The price of the premium variety, Banginapalli, now ranges from Rs.5,000 to Rs.7,000 a tonne as against Rs.10,000 last year. The price of Suvarnarekha fell by about Rs.30 per dozen this year." They are, however, hopeful of the prices going up by this month-end with the stocks fast depleting. The three north coastal districts do not have a market yard and farmers do not wait for the mango to grow to its full size.
M. Srinu, who has been in business at the Diamond Park junction for the past five years, says this is the worst season for traders. The premium varieties - Banginapalli, Nuzvid Rasalu and Cheruku Rasalu - range between Rs.30 to Rs.100 per dozen. In contrast, Banginapalli was sold for Rs.100 to Rs.500 per dozen and Nuzvid Rasalu Rs.120 to Rs.200 last year. The increase in the yield of the local crop has aggravated the situation.
The bumper harvest of mangoes has helped the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway to mop up additional revenue through the transport of mangoes from Vizianagaram and Kantakapalli railway stations. While the freight revenue earned during the mango season (April 14 to June 4) last year was a mere Rs.1,96,14,925, it has already gone up to Rs.3,84,17,700 during (April 11 to May 19) this year with two weeks still to go, according to Railway officials.
Last year, 34 VPH (small wagons of 16 to 23 tonnes capacity) rakes were sent from Vizianagaram and the total weight of the mangoes exported was 11,768 tonnes. No rakes were sent from Kantakapalli last year. This year, 22 BCN (large wagons of 26-tonne capacity) were sent from Vizianagaram and the total weight of the mangoes sent from Vizianagaram this year was 21,180 tonnes. In addition, 14 rakes (VHP) were sent from Kantakapalli this year. The total weight of the mangoes was 7,322 tonnes. All the rakes (a rake consists of 40 wagons) were sent to Delhi.
"Mango products like `mamidi thandra' (mango jelly) are made at the AP Exports Development Authority unit at Payakaraopeta. These products are exported to Delhi, Ahmednagar, Kolkata and Mumbai. A business of about Rs.1 crore a day is being done with Tuni as the marketing base," says the Assistant Director of the Horticulture Department, S. Rammohan.
Exports: Most of the mango exports are routed through the Gollapudi Market yard in Vijayawada. The mangoes were exported to countries like Dubai, Hongkong, London and Singapore in 1993. However, the exports were much below expectations. Between 1993 and 1997 only 548.39 tonnes was exported from the yard.
The exports between 1998-2002 were of the order of 1,079.95 tonnes. The value of the exports was Rs.102.15 lakhs. "The export of fresh mangoes from Vijayawada from the start of this season till the last week was 191 tonnes. The exports from Hyderabad were scattered and the figures are not readily available. The exports would continue up to June 15," the Officer on Special Duty (Exports), Iliyas Ahmed, told Metro Plus from Hyderabad, when contacted over the phone.
Festival time
The State Horticulture Department has been organising mango shows and festivals every year since 1993 to promote mango farming and consumption. The first mango show was held in Vijayawada followed by Tirupati, Chittoor and other places in AP. This year, for the first time, the festival is being organised by the Horticulture Department in association with the Tourism Department.
It will be held at the Lalita Kala Thoranam in Hyderabad from Saturday to June 2. The festival showcases all varieties of the fruits grown in the State.
Mango growers from all over the State can display the varieties grown by them. They can make presentations on the characteristics and composition of each variety. Home-made mango products, commercial mango products, grafts and mango varieties will be displayed at the exhibition. "There will be competitions, display and sales at the festival this year," says the Assistant Director (publicity) of the Horticulture Department, V.S. Dharmaja.
B. MADHU GOPAL
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