Thursday May 29, 04:54 PM
Bad weather bites off a chunk of India mango produce |
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By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bad weather is likely to bite off nearly a fifth of the production of India's favourite fruit, mango, this year, industry and government officials said.
India, the world's biggest producer, is likely to harvest 10.92 million tonnes in 2008/09, about 20 percent lower from last year's 13.64 million tonnes, as extreme winter and unseasonal rains lowered yield.
Mango, often called the king of fruits and India's main summer fruit crop, is grown across the country, and its harvest too is spread out.
Arrivals from southern and western parts of the country hit the market mainly in April-May, while harvest in the north starts May-end and runs till mid July.
Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa, Mallika and Dussheri are the most popular varieties from across the country, and their prices vary.
"We have been compiling data from state governments. The arrivals and price trend is showing around 20 percent fall in production compared to last year," said a senior official at National Horticulture Board (NHB), who declined to be named.
A cold wave lashed northern India in Jan-Feb, while in March Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh received heavy unseasonal rainfall.
The crop in Uttar Pradesh, the second biggest producer, was affected by a storm that caused fruit dropping last week, said Insram Ali, president of the All India Mango Growers Association.
Though initial estimates indicate around 20 percent fall in the output, the drop could be sharper as still weather condition in many parts is not conducive for the crop, Ali said.
Extended monsoon rains in Maharashtra, a major producer of the premier Alphonso, also pulled down output.
PRICE SWINGS
By the time the summer starts, arrivals of grapes, oranges, apples and bananas are down to a trickle, and mango replaces them. But a drop in mango output pushed up prices of all fruits in Indian markets this year, traders said.
Weather also delayed arrivals, keeping prices on the boil till mid-May, but last week's heavy arrivals cooled prices, traders said.
In the Vashi market near Mumbai, price of Alphonso variety has dropped to 200 rupees a dozen from 350 rupees a fortnight back, said Balasaheb Bhende, president of the Mumbai-based Fruit Merchants' Association.
"Prices will remain in this range for the next two weeks. But if rains hit any producing region we can see upside in prices," he said.
Big retail chains and food processing firms were actively buying the fruit and supporting prices.
India produces more than half the world's mangoes but exports only a tiny portion.
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