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Finally, it's time to go mangoes(The Times of India Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) AHMEDABAD: For mango lovers, the time to indulge is now! After the inflow of good quality, naturally ripened mangoes was delayed by over a month due to a good 30 per cent loss in production this year, the market is now flooded with Kesar mangoes from Saurashtra, and most importantly, at affordable prices. Good quality Kesar mangoes are the most sought-after as corporates like Reliance, Bharti, Subhiksha among a host of other players hit the dusty roads of Talala - the hub of Kesar mango production in Saurashtra - to strike deals directly with farmers for delivering the king of fruits from Kathiawad, to people across India and abroad. Experts say that the production of Kesar mangoes this year registered a 30 per cent drop primarily due to the unpredictable weather conditions which disrupted flowering in the mango trees, which took a toll on the taste of the Kesar. The mangoes available were lacking in taste and colour as these were probably ripened artificially using chemicals. Moreover, they were also exorbitantly expensive, said Raksha Shah, an avid mango connoisseur in Satellite area of Ahmedabad. Good news is that prices have now become stable. Kesar mangoes, that were available at wholesale price of Rs 300 per 10 kg a fortnight ago, are now available at Rs 200 per 10 kg. Even the alphonso variety that was available at Rs 100 per kg is now selling at Rs 50 per kg, says Lachchmanbhai Rohra, chairman of the wholesale fruit market association in Ahmedabad. Secretary of the Talala Marketing Yard H H Jarsania said the special quality Kesar mangoes are now selling at Rs 140-200 per 10 kg while good quality mangoes are selling between Rs 100 and 135 per 10 kg. Retail biggies like Reliance, Bharti and Subiksha, which are directly buying from the farmers, have shown a lot of interest in the fruit. In fact, Bharti has put up a packaging unit near Jasapur, 15 km off Talala this season, said Jarsania. Copyright 2007 The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. Source : Financial Times Information Limited |