Last few days to get a bite of Alphonsos

Ratnagiri alphonsos will be available in the APMC market only till May 31

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

May 22, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

For all those Navi Mumbaikars who haven’t grabbed a bite of the delicious Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes yet, here is your last and final chance to get a taste of the king of fruits this year. Ratnagiri mangoes are going to be available in the market only till May 31. Residents have something to cheer about as the prices of these mangoes have decreased by Rs 200 per box, each box containing 4-5 dozens of mangoes since Tuesday.

The Alphonso mangoes now cost Rs 900-Rs 1100 (1st grade), Rs 700-Rs 900 (2nd grade) and Rs 500-Rs 700 (3rd grade) per box. Earlier, these mangoes were priced at Rs 1000-Rs 1200 (1st grade), Rs 800-Rs 1000 (2nd grade) and Rs 600-Rs 800 (3rd grade) per box. “The Alphonso mangoes would be available in the local market for the next 10 days only. The season for Ratnagiri mangoes are about to end this year. Even their demand has reduced considerably as most of the families are out on holiday trips at this time of the year. But it’s the last opportunity this year for mango lovers to purchase the finest quality fruit,” said Sanjay Pimpale, a mango trader from APMC and the Secretary of Fruit and Vegetable Merchant’s Association.

This news has come as a respite for those Navi Mumbaikars who were yet to taste the delicious summer fruit. “My son used to pester me to buy mangoes. But since we were at our native, we couldn’t purchase any. But now, as only a few days are left for the season to end, we will definitely buy a few dozens. Plus, the decrease in prices is an added bonus,” said Priya Gopal, a resident of Nerul.

This year, the amount of Alphonso supply has reduced significantly as compared to last year. This time APMC has received around 60,000-65,000 boxes of Alphonso mangoes per day; while last summer, the count was around 1 lakh boxes each containing 5-6 dozens. The erratic climate and unpredictable rainfall during the flowering period led to the sharp decline in supplies. “These mangoes are transported to Navi Mumbai from Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. The unpredictable rains in that region during the month of November led to most of the crops getting damaged. Hence, the overall supply of the fruit was less this year,” Pimpale added.