Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

King of fruits hits market

By G. Ravikiran

A fruit vendor selling mangoes in Vijayawada on Thursday. — Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar.

VIJAYAWADA, MARCH 31. The season's first pickings are out on the streets - popping out from vendors' baskets here and there and tickling the taste buds of onlookers. From "Rasaalu" to "Kobbari Mamidi," different varieties of mangoes give the foretaste of a long season lying ahead.

The tastiest of them all, Banginapalli, is yet to make an entry worth the name as their quality has been affected in view of adverse weather conditions for the past two months. This variety is not seen much on sale and it is likely to take another 10-15 days to get real, tasty Banginapalli.

Rasaalu variety is being sold at Rs. 70 to Rs. 80 a dozen as of now and the low quality Banginapalli comes at Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 a dozen.

Edukondalu, a vendor who moves around on his bicycle and sells Rasaalu, says that he has chosen this variety because of its quality. "I am able to sell it at a good price."

Poor sales

Kantamma, an old woman selling Rasaalu at Besant Road, feels let down by the meagre sales. "Not many are buying mangoes these days. I am not getting good returns. We do not know what exactly is the reason?" she says.

Seventy to eighty per cent of mango consumption in the city is met by individual vendors, who rely mostly on direct supplies from the fruit gardens located in surrounding areas, rather than the main markets located at Nunna and Kedareswarapeta. Small farmers also bring their crop straight to the city and sell them in small quantities.

For them, selling the present crop of Banginapalli variety is proving to be a difficult proposition what with the fruits not having a bright colour and presentable looks. With regard to other varieties like "Kobbari Mamidi," there is no much of a difficulty as their quality is not much affected.

The small farmer is able to sell the present crop of Banginapalli mangoes at Rs 60 a dozen. "Once they pick up in colour and taste, I will sell them upwards of Rs. 120 a dozen. It will not be a long time from now," he says.

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