Alphonso mango price plummets, go ahead and dig in

The king of fruits, Alphonso mango, is not beyond your reach any more. The fruit is now available in the range of Rs1,000 to Rs4,000 per box (peti) as against the price range of Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 a few days ago.

One peti contains a minimum of four dozen and a maximum of 10 dozen mangoes. According to agriculture produce market committee (APMC) traders, an increase in the supply of mango led to the crash in the prices on the eve of Akshaya Trutiya.

“Alphonso (happus) prices will go down even more now because of oversupply. In the coming week, one peti is expected to cost Rs700. Also, with only one more month of summer left, supply will increase tremendously, which will bring down the prices further,” said Sanjay Pansare, Vashi APMC director.

He added that the prices started off high because the arrival of mango was delayed this year due to various reasons.
The daily supply of mango in APMC is almost 63,000 petis from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Dharwad, Hubli and some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Because of the initial high rates, export of the fruit was low as well. “We hope the demand in the Gulf, England and America picks up soon. People can now afford to buy mango. We generally supply 25-30% mangoes to foreign countries and the remaining yield gets sold out in Mumbai and its adjoining places. The next 15 days are crucial for business,” Pansare told DNA.

Besides Alphonso, supply of Badami, Totapuri, and Lalbaug has also increased. Totapuri is sold at Rs40 to Rs90 per kg, Lalbaug at Rs15 to Rs20 per kg while Badami at Rs30 to Rs40 per kg.

“The rate depends on the demand and supply of the fruit. Earlier, people used to only ask about the mango rates. Now, they can buy and take the sweet fruit home,” said Ramakant Tandel, a seller at Nerul, Navi Mumbai.