Adverse weather has seen this year’s Indian Alphonso mango crop plummet to only 30 per cent of normal levels, according to the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board.
The orange-yellow coloured variety, mainly grown in Maharashtra and other parts of western India, is highly sought-after by Indian consumers, who refer to it affectionately as “the king of fruits”. And the severe shortage has seen prices in the commercial capital of Mumbai soar to Rs$2,500 (US$56) per carton, double last year’s levels, according to the BBC.
Industry officials attribute the shortage to a cold winter in the Konkan region where the Alphonso is grown. Subhash Chavan, a fruit research expert, told the BBC that the temperature in the coastal area dropped below 17-18oC in the region for 65 days between December and February, affecting the fertilisation process. Untimely rains are also reported to have reduced yields.
The Alphonso variety is also in demand overseas, particularly among expats in markets such as the Middle East, Europe and the US, but exports have also been severely affected.
One exporter trader told the BBC that the shortage was the worst he’d ever seen in some 30 years in the business.
