Mango sales set to make a splash this summer
Mango growers and sellers are expecting a bumper crop as this year's season for the 'king of fruits' gets underway in Tiruchi.
'Though mango arrivals are low at present, we are expecting it to increase over the coming weeks. This year, the fruit-setting stage was complete by mid-March, well before the temperatures began to rise, which will ensure a trouble-free harvest period, for growers in the Tiruchi district,' a senior official at the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops told The Hindu on Friday.
Approximately 2,000 hectares are under mango cultivation in Marungapuri, Vayyampatti, Manapparai and Thottiyam in the district.
'We are cultivating Bangloora, Baganapalli and Senthoora varieties. We get an average yield of 8-10 tonnes per hectare, with 50% of the crop from the Marungapuri block. The yield of Imam Pasand is slightly lower than these older varieties. The government recommends high density and ultra high density crops in new farms, which are scattered across the district. The new farmers prefer to cultivate Imam Pasand and other rare varieties,' said the official.
Baganapalli mangoes are selling for ₹50 per kilo, while Senthoora fruits are priced at ₹45 per kilo in Tiruchi.
Regular consumers of mangoes in the city said that while many of the fruits look appetising, they do not taste sweet, possibly because the season is still to begin in earnest.
'We are waiting for Imam Pasand, which has the right combination of sweetness and texture,' said a resident.
Traders at Gandhi Market said that a cold storage facility would help shops to plan ahead and cash in on the mango crop. 'As the season is in its initial period, the market is receiving around 10 tonnes of mangoes. However, we are expecting this volume to rise over the next few months,' said A. M. P. Abdul Hakkim, president, Tiruchi Gandhi Market Anaithu Vyabarigal Pothu Nala Sangam.
The market has approximately 30 wholesalers and over 200 retailers dealing in mangoes.
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