In Kurnool city, mango prices have soared far beyond the reach of the average consumer; this is due to less than 20 percent of the crop reaching the market and its arrival being delayed by two months.
Banginapalli mangoes are sold at an exorbitant price of Rs. 500 a dozen and between Rs. 150 and Rs. 200 a kg in the retail market.
Only 20 per cent of the mangoes are available for local consumption, Kurnool City Wholesale Fruit Merchants Association president S. Bashu Mian told The Hindu, and the price is double the previous year, he said.
The crop yield fell to 25 per cent this year, owing to severe drought, depletion of groundwater and drying up of borewells.
The Banginapalli mango variety, famous across the world, is the only one available this year, said association secretary S. Ramaswamy. During normal conditions, several varieties such as Dil Pasand, Reddy Pasand, Nawab Pasand, Amrutham, Neelam and Totapuri flood the market, giving a choice to the customers.
Welcoming Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s assurance to develop the district as a horticulture hub, Mr. Bashu Mian and Mr. Ramaswamy urged the Government to establish a full-fledged fruit market on a 20-acre stretch on the outskirts of the city with godowns, cold storage and fruit processing facilities to provide avenues for import and export of the fruit.
(1 Indian Rupee=0.015USD)
Source: thehindu.com
