PUNE: Losses due to climate change had slowly making in-roads and this year was no different especially for the mango production. The mango growers have registered almost 40 per cent drop in the quantity of mangoes brought in the city, compared to the last few years. Mango vendors, APMC fruit division head and president, fruit market, Mahatma Phule Mandai have blamed climate change for the drop, saying crops have been affected and mango prices scaled up.
Ajit Gogate, Chairman of the Devgad Taluka Amba Utpadak Sahakari Sanghastha Maryadit, a cooperative society of mango growers in Devgad, said, “Due to climate change, the production of mangoes has been hit and therefore there are 40 per cent less mangoes in the market. Also, this year there was a cold breeze till the beginning of March, along with the cloudy weather, which led to an average harvest.
Dattatreya Kamalkar, Head of APMC Fruit Market Division, said, “This year, because of climate change, the yield of mangoes was not up to the mark. This led to an escalation in the prices. Like every year, mangoes from Karnataka and Madras have arrived in huge quantities, because they had good production this year too.”
Somnath Kachi, President of Fruit Market of Mahatma Phule Mandai, said, “Generally, mangoes reach the market seven to eight days before Akshay Tritiya, but this year the mangoes had started arriving from November.
Mangoes from Karnataka and Madras were coming in huge quantities than from Ratnagiri and Devgad. Also, the rates were high this year.”
Mango vendors say that Ratnagiri and Devgad mangoes sold more than the other varieties.
Shiv Pardeshi, a mango vendor at Mandai, said, “From last year, the wholesale and retail rates of mangoes have increased by Rs 50 and Rs 100 respectively.”
Bhaurao Lakare, another mango vendor at Mandai, said, “The demand for Ratnagiri and Devgad mangoes was more despite the shortage.
Another vendor Kapil Pardeshi said, “Apart from Ratnagiri, Devgad, Karnataka and Madras, Lalbagh and Payari mangoes have demand in the market.”
“In the next 15 days, the market will be flooded by mangoes,” Kachi added.
