2 min readJunagadhMay 6, 2009 02:21 AM IST
First published on: May 6, 2009 at 02:21 AM IST
Yield drops by 40%; leads to exorbitant price in retail market
Global warming has claimed its latest victim-mangoes in Junagadh district as well as the whole of Saurashtra region,taking the king of fruit out of reach of the general populace. On Tuesday,as the auction of Junagadh’s famous Kesar mangoes began in the Talala Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard,it was declared that the mango crop produce had dropped by a major 40 percent. However,the price of mangoes saw no such fall as they rose inversely proportional to the mango yield this year.
Talala APMC yard chairman Harsukh Jarsaniya said the auction of mangoes officially began from today and the price of a 10 kg box of mango now ranges from Rs 300 to Rs 600. “Last year,a total of nine lakh mango boxes had been sold in the Talala yard. However,this year the astronomical prices might ensure that they do not even touch the three-lakh mark,” he said.
According to fruit sellers and commission agents,the mango season in Junagadh starts from the beginning of May and lasts till the third week of June during which the markets are flooded with mangoes. However,the short supply and price tag has made the mangoes unaffordable for the general public this year.
Commission agent I M Motanwala said,”Due to the poor mango yield,ripe mangoes are being sold at Rs 50 per kg in the retail market,which is a little too steep for the general public.”
According to Prof K N Makawana in the Department of Horticulture of the Junagadh Agriculture University,”Global warming is the reason behind the low mango yield. The temperature at the time of flowering and maturity was very high. This has had a major impact on mango production,” said Makawana.
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