With a two-fold increase in the price of mangoes this year compared to the last year, the fruit has become out of reach for the common people in Orissa even though it has hit the market early this year. The price of mangoes has almost doubled this year in Berhampur in south Orissa, one of the major mango markets in the country. The wholesale mango traders in Berhampur attributed the price rise to low production in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the major mango producing states of the country.
The dip in mango production in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka has also led to a short supply of mangoes to the mango market here, said the officials of Berhampur Mango Merchants’ Association. During the current season only 20-25 truck loads (about 2,000-2,500 tonnes) of mangoes reached here daily while 5000-7000 tonnes of mangoes reached every day in the previous years.
As the price of mango is much higher this year, we cannot afford to purchase the fruit, said Prabhasini Satapathy, a housewife. It may be noted that mango was one of the major fruits for offering for Sabitri Brata, a holy ritual to be observed on May 24.