Low price hits mango growers

Vijayawada: Mango growers and traders expressed their displeasure about this year’s mango season as there is no demand for their produce. Even as the second week of April is approaching, mango trade has been poor when compared to last year.

Highlights:

• Exports fall at Nunna Market
• Price of Banginapalli variety falls from Rs 25,000 to Rs 20,000 per tonne
• Farmers seek marketing department’s intervention for better price

The mango exports drastically fell at Nunna Mango Market, Asia’s bigges,t which is located at Nunna village near Vijayawada in Krishna district. Mango traders and growers said that this type of business was never witnessed in the previous seasons.

Mango business was started two weeks ago and so far only 1,200 tonnes of mangoes were exported from Nunna Mango market. Last year 5,000 tonnes were exported to Gujarat, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Rajasthan and other states from Nunna Mango market. But now, the number of trucks has been decreasing as mangoes coming in small size in the market.

Mango growers from Krishna, Khammam, West Godavari districts came to Nunna Market for selling their produce. The Vijayawada (Gollapudi) Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) is making arrangements for mango business at Nunna Mango Market and collecting market fee from growers and traders who are coming from different states.

Unfortunately, mango price also dropped when compared to last year’s season. King of fruits Banginapalli price dropped to
Rs. 20,000 from Rs. 25,000 per tonne at Nunna Mango Market while Cheruku Rasalu is Rs 18, 000 per tonne and Collector variety price is Rs.15, 000 per tonne. With the fallen mango prices, mango growers are not interested to transport mangoes to Nunna Market because after selling the mangoes they are unable to pay even the wages for labourers.

Mango Growers Association representative Kothapalli Rama Krishna told The Hans India that due to black spots on mangoes, buyers are not ready to purchase mangoes. Most of the buyers going to other areas in Krishna district for buying mangoes directly from growers, he added.

Nunna Mango Growers Association president Kasi Visveswara Rao said that Rayachoti, Karnataka area mangoes arrived in market and they are in good quality when compared to Krishna district mangoes. These mangoes selling at a cost of Rs 700 per box, while Krishna district mangoes are being sold for Rs 300, he said.

Meanwhile, Vijayawada (Gollapudi) AMC chairman Jaliparthi Gopala Krishna visited Nunna Mango Market here on Friday and inspected the arrangements for mango growers and traders. He enquired about the facilities provided by the AMC for workers. Chairman Gopala Krishana directed the marketing authorities to provide facilities to farmers for taking rest at Nunna Market.

He said that AMC provided drinking water, electricity and rest rooms for mango growers and traders. Later, he interacted with the traders and farmers and enquired about the mango price. Mango farmers told the chairman that there is no fair price for mangoes this season and buyers are not coming to market. In this scenario marketing department should intervene and fix the mango price, they appealed.