The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Smaller crops drive up mango prices

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Smaller crops drive up mango prices

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, APRIL 6. If you have been waiting to dig into juicy mangoes all this while, be prepared to shell out a lot more than usual. The "King of Fruits" is having a bad time this summer.

Officials of the Horticultural Producers' Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS) told The Hindu that the crop was expected to be smaller by at least 75 per cent this year. "Scanty rains and the drought have had an adverse effect. Crops from Chennapatna and Ramanagaram will only arrive in a fortnight. Normally, they would have already reached our markets," the HOPCOMS Procurement Manager here, Gopala Gowda, said. Crops from Kolar were at least 45 days late.

The delayed arrival has driven up the prices of the varieties now available. "Badami, which was sold at Rs. 10 or Rs. 12 a kg. last year, now sells at Rs. 30 to Rs. 40 a kg. Alphonsos were Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 a kg. last year. Today they cost Rs. 30 to Rs. 35 a kg.," Mr. Gowda pointed out.

Apart from alphonsos and badamis, HOPCOMS here — which covers the Bangalore Urban and Rural and Kolar districts — also received varieties such as totapuri, raspuri, and banganapalli, he said.

Asked what measures would be taken to compensate the farmers for their loss, Mr. Gowda said that was up to the Government to decide. "Nature has done this to the farmers, what can we do about it?" he asked.

Indians have a historical attachment to the mango. It is said that the fruit was cultivated in the country 4,000 years ago. Today, India accounts for 70 per cent of the global mango crop.

Mangoes are grown on 42 per cent of the area under fruit cultivation in the country. Uttar Pradesh has the largest area under mango crops followed by Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat.

About 1,500 varieties of mango are grown in the country, including 1,000 commercial varieties.

Mango lovers have their own favourites, based on the taste and flavour of the fruit.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

Builder accused of murdering wife

World Health Day focus on road safety

`Online facility helps speed up cargo clearance'

Smaller crops drive up mango prices

Rs. 1.55 lakh stolen from supermarket

New traffic regulations on some roads soon

Water adalats today, tomorrow

Around The City

In Bangalore Today