Tuesday, January 26, 2010

MANGO PRICE?

POOR ARRIVALS PUSH UP MANGO PRICE S.KUMARESAN 9003612277
The price of the mango, the fruit of the common man in summer, has increased to unprecedented levels. The price has certainly more than doubled and in some cases increased by even four times depending on the variety.

The increase is not restricted to one region of the country. In Mumbai, a particular variety of mango which was selling at Rs.70-80 a dozen last year is now quoted at Rs.350-400. In Chennai, the Bangalore variety, a cheap one is selling at about Rs.20 a kilogram, more than double the price of last year. The situation is no different in Delhi too. The price of Safeda, a good quality mango, is over Rs.40 a kilogram.

Poor Arrivals

The abnormal increase in the prices of mangoes is attributed to the poor arrival of the fruit in the market. This year, only four or five truck loads of mangoes are coming to Chennai every day as against 30 to 40 truck loads last year. About 100 to 150 boxes of Alphonso variety are arriving daily this year from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra as against 500 to 600 boxes last year says Shri Elangovan, Secretary of the Chennai Fruit Commission Agents Association at Koyambedu wholesale market. Another vendor Shri Marimuthu said even the Malgova variety from the nearby Salem started arriving late this year.

Sharp fall in Production

Usually, the shortfall in production will be offset by a bumper crop in some other region of the country. This year, the yield of the mango crop suffered uniformly throughout the country. An estimate puts the shortfall at 45 per cent for the whole country. As against the normal production of 110 lakh tonnes a year, the current year's production is estimated at 60 lakh tonnes only. The yield has fallen by about 40 per cent in Andhra Pradesh which accounts for 28 per cent of the total mango production in the country. The output in Karnataka, which accounts for seven per cent of the production, is significantly low. In Tamilnadu, production fell by about 60 per cent in the main mango producing area of Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Salem. However, the production of varieties like Bangalore, Kalapad and Neelam has not been affected much.

Causes of Crop Failure

The failure of the mango crop is not restricted to India alone. The South-East Asian countries, like Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines have reported fall in their production this year. Experts believe that environmental degradation such as the forest fire in Indonesia and E1 Nino effect could be the cause for the crop failure in these countries. ' In our country, the unseasonal rains leading to extended winter and consequent low temperature in the North did not allow adequate and timely flowering. Thereafter, the rise in temperature and rains resulting in the increasing humidity levels which led to breeding of insects, proved harmful to the mango crop' according to experts in the field. In the South, continuous rains in the mango growing areas resulted in flowers failing to bloom in the last December and january. The heavy rains also affected the pollination. The absence of the dew in the flowering season also contributed to this phenomenon.

Mango "King of the Fruits"

Mango is the favourite fruit in all parts of the country and has repeatedly been acclaimed as the "king of fruits". In area, production and popularity of the appeal, mango tops the list of fruits. No other country can surpass India in the number of mango varieties and the richness of the flavours. The climate of the country is ideally suited for mango cultivation.

Mango is grown in different parts of the country except at an altitude of above 3,000 feet. Mango cultivation in the country accounts for 42 per cent of the area under fruit cultivation. Uttar Pradesh occupies the pre-eminent position by having the largest area under mango crop followed by Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Gujarat.

Mango Varieties

In India, about 1,500 varieties of mango are grown including 1,000 commercial varieties. Each of the top varieties of the mango has a unique taste and flavour, giving the fruit a quality par excellence. The most sought after variety, Alphonso, is mainly cultivated in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Bulsar in Gujarat and also in Karanataka. Dashehari, Langra, Bombay Green and Chausa are grown in UP. Another top variety, Himsagar is cultivated in West Bengal. Banganapalli, Neelam, Bangalora and Swarnarekha are abound in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Alphonso, Dashehari and Banganapalli are exported to some countries.

The Dashehari is a fibreless fruit with a delicate taste. It is medium sized roundish oval and greenish. Bombay Green called Maldain UP and Sehroli in Delhi is a very sweet and greenish fruit having a strong flavour. This variety is identical with Bombay Yellow which develops a yellowish colour near the shoulder. Alphonso also called Hafus, Aapus, Badami, Gundu, Khader and Patnam Jathi is one of the best varieties of the country.

Neelam or Kaja Laddu is a ovate oblique and yellow fruit of a fair quality. Ramani a moderately good fruitisapple-shaped and yellow in colour with a red blush on the shoulder.

Another variety Banganpalli, also called Baneshan, Chapta, Chapatai and Safeda in the North is a good large-sized, obliquely oval and yellow fruit. Malgova, a large roundish-oblique yellow fruit is of a good quality. It is very suitable for making preserves and has a good keeping quality. Swarnarekha, a fairly good fruit and a good keeping quality, is a very early variety of coastal Andhra Pradesh. It is exported to the markets in North India. It is also called Chinna Swarnarekha and Sundari or Sandhuri in the Delhi market.

Nutritious

Good mango varieties contain over 20 per cent of the total soluble solids (sugars). The acid content of ripe dessert fruit varies from 0.2 to 0.5 per cent and the protein content is about one per cent. Mango is also considered to have medicinal properties. The ripe fruit is fattening, diuretic and laxative. It helps to increase digestive capacity and the brain power. Mango has a special place in our culture. References to mango tree and the fruit are abound in our epics and literature. Mango was cultivated in India as early as four thousand years ago. Still, it remains a fruit that almost every Indian enjoys.-PIB

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