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Mango Mania
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Seasonal delight Golden as the sun's rays, the mango has begun to make its welcome presence felt, writes nivedita ganguly
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We are expecting 70 per cent more produce this season
Photo: K.R. Deepak
KING OF FRUITS Mangoes are flooding the markets this season
The beaming yellow and green mangoes are all over the city once again. Golden as the sun's rays, the mango has begun to make its welcome presence felt. The examinations are over and the long languorous summer can be compensated only with the tangy taste and sweet smell of mangoes. Its skin is a blaze of green and gold, with slices of pale dawn yellow.
Nothing can replace the joy of eating a mango, with the juice trickling down one's elbows. Piles of the shining yellows are stacked at the fruit shops around the city.
Faces with rivulets of sweat running down and hopeful smiles greet early customers who enquire about the varieties and the prices of their favourite fruit. There is good news for mango lovers. Though it is early days yet, it is expected that there'll be a bumper crop of the fruit this year. Mangoes are arriving in huge stocks this time. Going by the glee on the faces of fruit vendors, it's evident that this year the crop is good. The king of fruits, the mango, is flooding the markets and what a contented feel it has spread all around.
K. Ishwar Rao is a happy man as he explains that mangoes have arrived in plenty this season. He has his fruit shop at the heart of the city in Dabagardens. "Last year the produce was very meagre as a result the prices soared high and went up to Rs.180 per dozen," he recalls.
India is the largest exporter of mangoes in the world. It is followed by Mexico and Pakistan. Andhra Pradesh is the second largest producer of mangoes in India next only to Uttar Pradesh.
Most of the varieties of mangoes coming to Vizag are from the neighbouring districts. The variety of the fruit is mind-boggling. Banginapalli, Cheruku rasaalu, Kottapalli kobari, Suvarnarekha, Panchadara kalasa and Totapuri are the popular ones. While Humayunpasant (Imampasant) and Neelam come in lesser quantities.
(The main mango producing areas in the State are: Nuzvid, Mylavaram, Tiruvuru and Vijayawada in Krishna district; Narsapur, Eluru and Tadepalligudem in West Godavari; Kakinada, Kothapeta and Rajahmundry in East Godavari; and Koduru, Putturu and Tirupati in Chittoor district).
The early morning sun rays haven't yet filtered through the clouds. But Poorna market is busy with activity, as lorryloads of mangoes are unloaded. The wholesale dealers seem quite satisfied by the mounds of mangoes around them. Says K. Bhashanam of Nataraja Fruits, "Compared to last year, we are expecting 70 per cent more produce this season. So we expect the prices to remain low this time. The sale is quite good even at the beginning. After another 15 days the mangoes will be more tasty and sweet." Fruit vendors expect the prices to come down to Rs.50 or 60 per dozen this year.
Colour is not necessarily an indication of ripeness in a mango. Some varieties remain green even when they are ripe, while others turn golden or bright red or a combination. Buy unblemished aromatic fruit and eat sliced or suck out the flesh or just go ahead and dig into it. Nothing like messing with a mango.
Mangoes bring back many sweet memories. Summer vacations and the trip to grandma's place where she sits on the front yard making those delicious pickles, the taste of which lingers on for the rest of the year! Tiny mangoes cluster on the high branches while the more adventurous amongst us would go around tasting mangoes from any tree of their choice. Gone are those days, but mangoes remain the favourite fruit of one and all.
Wonder why can't it be summer all the time, if it means eating mangoes round the year? So get on with the mango mania and enjoy!
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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