Alphonsos worth Rs 41 lakh sold at Nashik festival

Around 28,000 dozen alphonso mangoes worth Rs 41 lakh were sold in a four-day mango festival at Nashik.

The Ratnagiri Agriculture Produce Market Committee and Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board, Pune, had jointly organised the mango festival from April 29 to May 2 at at the Head Office of Nashik District Central Co-op Bank (NDCCB).

The purpose of the festival was to provide a market to the Konkan mango farmers to sell their product direclty.

Milind Joshi, secretary, Ratnagiri APMC said, "Fifteen farmers from Ratnagiri had brought various varieties of Alphonso including 'Payari', 'Georg', 'Bhopali', 'Raiwad' and 'Sindhu'. The weight of one mango was between 250 gms to 300 gms. Rates of various varieties ranged from Rs 125 to Rs 200 per dozen. Payari was sold at Rs 200 per dozen, Georg at Rs 125 per dozen, Bhopali Rs 125 per dozen, Raiwad Rs 150 per dozen and Sindhu Rs 125 per dozen."

"Last year, we sold around 9,205 dozens Alphoso worth Rs 14.73 lakh at the mango festival. Last fortnight, we had organized mango festival at Sangamner, where 11,000 dozens Alphonso amounting to Rs 19.25 lakh were sold," Joshi said.

In Ratnagiri district, last year the area under mango orchards was 44,810 hectare and total mango production was 89, 620 metric tonne worth Rs 89.62 crore.

This year (2006), the area under mango orchards has increased by 670 hectare to 45,480 hectare, said Sudhakar Kokitkar, agriculture inspector, Ratnagiri APMC.