Kinnow, malta sale begins in Punjab mandis, prices better than last year

KINNOW AND malta sale for the season has started in Punjab’s Abohar mandi with farmers fetching better prices. The price for kinnow this year is Rs 13/kg compared to Rs 8 per kg last year, while for malta it is Rs 31.50 per kg whereas last year it was Rs 22 a kg.

Horticulture area this year showed no significant increase as it stood at around 3.81 lakh hectares, almost same as last year, out of which area under fruits was 0.9 lakh hectares.

Shailender Kaur, Director, Horticulture, said, “Last year, there was a bumper crop of kinnow as it was around 13 lakh metric tonnes, while this year we are expecting not more than 9 lakh MT. This is a pattern of crops that are bumper in the first year and production reduces next year. As there is no crop insurance in horticulture related crops, hence the risk factor is high. Moreover, there is no MSP linked with horticulture crops.”