Comments
High costs and delay in arrival of the famous Alphonso here have resulted in mangoes from Tamil Nadu making their way into the markets in Valsad, which is known for the highest production of mangoes in the entire State of Gujarat.
The arrivals have been delayed by a month and also due to the high cost of the famous Ratnagiri mango from neighbouring Maharashtra which is priced at Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per bag (20 kg). Mangoes from TN quoted at Rs 800 for Alphonso, Rs 600 for Totapuri and Rs 500 for Lalbag have entered Gujarat markets, said Mr Arun Tripathi, a mango dealer here.
Mango farmers of Valsad are a worried lot due to extreme changes in the weather. Damaged flowering this season had not left them with much hope of a good harvest.
After good flowering in January this year, hopes rose for high yield of mango crop but damages in the subsequent months of February and March disappointed them.
Many small-sized mangoes had fallen off the trees and the production from their orchards is much below the expected level. The constant change in weather affected mango production this year, sources said.
“We expect mango production this year to be around 30 to 35 per cent of what it was last year. Constant change in weather and late flowering have taken their toll on the crop,” said experts.
High temperatures are also affecting mango production.
Several areas in South Gujarat have been experiencing about 40 degree Celsius temperature for the last few days.
Because of the high temperature, mangoes turn yellowish and fall off early, said experts.
The famous Alphonso mango for which Valsad is known is likely to arrive in market from the end of the first week of May. The entry of Kesar, another variety of mango into the market is expected after a week or so. In addition to this, Kesar mango from Talala in Bhavnagar district in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat will also arrive into the market by that time, Mr R. R. Mishra, another mango dealer said.
That will result in lowering the prices of mangoes in the market and Kesar mangoes may be priced at Rs 350 per 20 kg or so, said Mr Mishra.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.