AHMEDABAD: The increase in input costs for farmers coupled with the shortage of mangoes across the country, especially in Saurashtra, have pushed mango prices to a five-year high in the wholesale market.
Ahmedabad usually consumes 50 truckloads of mangoes a day, but these days it has been getting only 30 truckloads of all quality of mangoes. Each truck, on average, carries 10 tonnes of mangoes. Prices in the wholesale market range from Rs 50 per kg to Rs 100 per kg.
Mahendra Tanna, a wholesale dealer at the Naroda fruit market, said that prices are high as are the input costs for farmers. He said that farm owners have given the contract for Rs 70 per kg and after adding transportation and packing charges, the cost is high. Tanna said that the supply of mangoes from Una and Talala is just 30% and 40% respectively and this has added to the increase in prices.
Laxman Rohra, another Naroda wholesaler, said: “Even wholesale prices are high and so the lowest price in the retail market is higher than usual. The fruits are costing common people dear this year.” The market has seen prices ranging from Rs 45-90 per kg for kesar. Rohra said that scores of mango trees were uprooted by the cyclone in May last year and hence the production this year has been lower than normal.
An Ahmedabad fruit trader said: “The prices of kesar in the retail market have been nearing the Rs 150-170 mark depending on the area. The badam variety has been costing Rs 70-90 per kg in retail.” He added: “With the arrival of Kutchi kesar, the prices will ease to some extent. But we do not see any major change in the retail market.” He said that mangoes from Uttar Pradesh are coming in, so some variety will be available in the last leg of the season of the king of fruits.
Jhalak Shah, a resident of Satellite, said: “I love mangoes, but this year the prices have been very high. So we have been rationing our supply.” Priyanka Patel, an executive, said: “The quality of kesar this year was ordinary. At any rate, kesar was expensive for our family of seven. So we alternated between badam and kesar varieties.”
