Devgad Alphonso hits APMC in winter at ₹9,000 for two dozen
NAVI MUMBAI: The mercury has not even soared past the winter’s warmth and the king of fruits has already made its royal entry. The mouth-watering Alphonso, considered the flavour of summer, reached Vashi’s APMC wholesale market from Devgad farms on Thursday. Usually, the first off-season arrival of mangoes is from Malawi, an African nation, every year.
While the Devgad mango is now available in small quantities and is much expensive ₹9,000 per two dozen - than the seasonal variety, traders said it is primarily sold to Mumbai traders who further sell them to the uber rich for use in weddings or parties.
The first set reached Nivrutti Dhole and Sons gala from the farm of Vasant Gawkar at Purul Kothad village.
On Friday, the second set landed at the gala of Ashok Hande from the farm of Katvan’s Prashant Shinde.
“We have been trading in Alphonso mangoes for nearly 60 years and this is the first time that we have received the fruits so early. This is because of the extreme care that the farmers took in spite of the unseasonal rain,” Hande said, adding as a family ritual, he donated the first box to Siddhivinayak temple. Dhole too got two boxes with two dozen in each one. “I have sold it to a Mumbai-based trader. As the mango is raw, we will have to wait till it ripens, to fix a price; the quality also matters.”
Originally a government contractor, Shinde started mango farming during the pandemic. “It bloomed in August and we covered up the trees with cloth to keep them safe from the rain. And after every rainfall, we made sure to spray an organic manure on the flowers,” Shinde told HT from Devgad.
Interestingly, the Malawi Alphonso will reach trader Sanjay Pansare on Saturday. “We are expecting a delivery of 800 boxes of 3 kg each. The rates range between ₹4,000 and ₹5,000. These mangoes are mainly gifted, especially at weddings,” Pansare, who is also the director of the fruits market, said.
From January, when the actual mango season starts, and particularly after February 15, the quantity will increase with the arrival from Ratnagiri and other parts of Konkan, Pansare said.
Bhagwandas Shyam from Crawford Market, who has booked the Malawi mangoes from Pansare, said, “The demand is high for Malawi in the city. This year, it reached late and the quantity too is very less.” Once the Konkan mangoes disappear from the market, Alphonso from Gujarat will start arriving in April. May is the favourite month as the prices are lowest.
“In June, mangoes from Junnar along with those from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh will hit the market. And when the Alphonso season finally ends by June-end, chausa, langada and dusheri will start coming in from Uttar Pradesh,” Pansare added.