Mango export season begins, over 65 tonnes of fruit leave for US markets

Arrivals from Karnataka, however, are yet to pick up, with traders hopeful that this will happen after May first week.

Price of mangoes from Karnataka has also dipped by 20 per cent as arrivals are low.

Since the beginning of the mango export season, nearly 65 tonnes of the fruit have left for the United States, and exporters are hoping for a good season ahead. In the domestic market, arrival of mangoes from Konkan coast has increased in Pune, leading to price correction by nearly 30 per cent in the last few days. Arrivals from Karnataka, however, are yet to pick up, with traders hopeful that this will happen after May first week.

After a gap of two years, a phyto-sanitary inspector from the US has arrived in India to oversee the process of exports. Exports to USA are crucial as Indian traders want to capture the growing market. Fruits designated for the US markets have to be irradiated while those for Japan, Europe or Australia have to be treated with hot water or vapour treated before exports.

Read | After two difficult years, mango traders expect good export season

Conflicting signals about the availability of the fruit has seen prices and arrivals being hit. While some traders are hopeful about a bumper harvest, others are doubtful about it. In Pune’s markets, arrivals from both Konkan coast and Karnataka started on a good note but have dipped since then. Tra-ders had blamed this on the sudden rains which had hit the region.

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But arrivals have picked up, with Rohan Ursal, a commission agent operating in Pune’s market, saying price of the fruit has also dipped by 30 per cent. Price of mangoes from Karnataka has also dipped by 20 per cent as arrivals are low.

Ursal said arrivals from Konkan currently dominate the market but sales have been slow. “We feel people have stocked up on mangoes for Akshaya Tritiya and that’s why retail sales are slow,” he said. As Akshaya Tritiya this year falls on May 3, Ursal and other trades feel that the weekend may see some major buying at retail shops.

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

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