Alphonso mangoes will not hit the markets on time next season; blame it on Cyclone Phyan. And when it does, the quantity may not be enough for the connoisseurs of the luscious fruit. As the flowering of the mangoes has been destroyed by the cyclone in the Konkan area where it is mostly grown, the rates are destined to soar. The maximum impact of the cyclone was in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts.
In Mumbai, the alphonso is normally available by mid-March. Agriculture expert Budhajirao Mulik said, “The alphonso flowers three times. Its first flowering has been destroyed by the gusty winds and heavy rains. The atmosphere in Konkan is still cloudy. If it continues like this, it is feared that the alphonsoes may get fungus. It will then result in further damage to the fruit.”
Devgad-based Ajit Gogate, who owns several alphonso farms, fears that the second flowering will also get affected because of the bad climate. “At some places the alphonso trees have been rooted out, and at others, branches have been broken. The flowering has been destroyed. The leaves are too pale for the second flowering to be good,” he said.
Gogate informed that Sindhudurg produces around 60,000 metric tonne of alphonsoes in a season, whereas Ratnagiri produces 80,000 metric tonne. “The damage to the flowering will not only result in delay, but the rates will also shoot up,” he said.
According to Mulik, the Phayan struck an area of 30km inside the coast. “Though the cyclone was at the coast, its impact was felt all over Konkan in the form of gusty winds and heavy rains,” he said.
There is an option of mangoes which come from Uttar Pradesh. “They can fulfill the Mumbaikars’ demand, but they cannot satisfy the real alphonso lovers,” said Mulik.
