The famed Nagpur oranges are flooding the fruit markets in Mysuru with the farmers in Vidarbha area in Maharashtra having harvested a bumper crop this year. Compared to last year, the output is substantial and the prices too have dropped. Fruit lovers are getting quality oranges at prices between ₹50-70 a kg in the retail market.
For the past one-and-a-half months, there has been a flood of oranges to the city with the merchants getting nearly 15-20 truckloads of fruit almost daily.
Mr. Hyder, a fruit merchant at the RMC Market here, said orange production has been very good this year and therefore the fruit is flooding the markets. Last year, the yield was less and supply was also minimal. This year, the supply is good besides the quality, he added.
The wholesale price for Nagpur oranges is around ₹45-50 while the price in the wholesale market for Kodagu oranges is ₹55-60 but the supply of Kodagu oranges has dwindled. “The supply is not like Nagpur oranges. The quantity we get from Kodagu is marginal. We also get oranges from Rajasthan once the supply from Nagpur drops,” the trader said.
On an average, nearly 180-200 tonnes of oranges are supplied to Mysuru daily. The unsold fruits are dumped in the open since the supply has been continuous. Merchants from neighboring places also procure the fruit from Mysuru. If the procurement is high, then the losses are minimal as nearly 50% of fruits are supplied to the retailers, the traders said.
