COIMBATORE: Move over lesser mortals. For, the king is here.Mango lovers in Coimbatore district , waiting to savour the juicy, sweet fruit, have reason to cheer as mangoes have begun arriving by the tonne at the Ukkadam fruits and vegetable market. However, with the season just beginning, prices are on the higher side.But, take heart. Prices are expected to stabilize after mid-April, when arrivals from all mango-growing regions start flooding the markets.Major fruit retailers across the city have begun stocking on multiple varieties - from banganapalli and alphonso to senthuram and imaam pasandh.However, indulgence on the fruit over the next week or so might burn a hole in your pocket. While banganapalli costs more than 100 per kg, top quality alphonso costs around 40 a piece in some shops. "It is not surprising because the wholesale rate of banganapalli mangoes is 40 to 50 a kg and goes up to 80 for high-grade ones. Alphonso mangoes also cost between 70 and 140 per kg," said A Faisal, joint secretary of Coimbatore Corporation Fruits and Vegetables Commission Agents Association. Imaam pasandh fruits are going up to 140 per kg at the wholesale stage, he said.The high prices are attributed to full-fledged arrivals from Anamalai region yet to start and the season yet to begin in Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal. "Most of our arrivals are from Kerala border, Palakkad and other districts like Kollengode," said Mohammed Sadiq of M Kunhimon and Sons. "The arrivals from Anamalai are yet to start. The fruits in most fields are yet to turn ripe. It should be harvested after one month," said Sahabuddin, horticulture officer for the block.Mango farmers in Anamalai, however, are a worried lot as the fruit formation and ripening seems especially slow this year. "Our fruits usually ripen and can be plucked by 'chithirai kani' or Tamil New Year. However, looking at our fruits now, it seems we can harvest them only in mid-May," said farmer A Kanagaraj, who has 400 mango trees of multiple varieties. " It is mainly because of the lack of rains last monsoon and severe heat since February," said Rajesh Kannan, another mango farmer. "Hardly 40% of my fruits are close to the plucking stage," he said.Agents buying mangoes in bulk and sending it to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata is also leading to a spike in demand. "Of the 50 to 75 tonnes of mangoes we receive in a contingent, almost 75% is bought by such agents. This will continue till mangoes in their regions are harvested and start coming into their markets," said Faisal. "Once they stop buying in bulk, prices will start dropping," he added.

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