NAVI MUMBAI: The sweet aroma of mangoes is already wafting at the Vashi wholesale market. The first lot of Alphonso mangoes from Devgad in the Konkan reached the fruit yar of Agriculture Produce Market Committee on Monday.
Though still raw, the entire lot of 25 dozen was sold within a minute of its arrival. The mangoes could turn up to a week to ripen, said a seller.
Traders at the market claimed that the wholesale rate for the mangoes is around Rs 3,000 a dozen and in the retail market, it is expected to be Rs 4,000 per dozen. Regular arrival of the fruit is likely to begin from early January.
The 300 mangoes were to trader Sanjay Pansare. The first lot was supplied by Arvind Valke from his farm in Valkewadi of Devgad, Sindhudurg district.
According to a source who is familiar with the mango trade, farmers who managed to save mango flowers by covering them with plastic during monsoon are now harvesting the pre-season Alphonso fruit and this crop is small in terms of its quantity. In the next fortnight, some 50 boxes of six dozen each are expected to hit the market.
Navi Mumbai resident Samrat Shetty said the price is too exorbitant. “The premium Alphonso is not our cup of tea now. Prices should dip in a couple of months after which the common man will be able to afford it,” he said.
Traders in the market said they expect prices to fall in the coming days, anticipating a good season with more produce. Pansare said he expects a good arrival of famous Devgad Alphonso mangoes next month with a bit cheaper rate. “In peak season last year, same varieties of mangoes were sold at Rs 500 a dozen and this season too, rates will fall considerably.”
