Coimbatore: Mango lovers in the district have a reason to cheer as the juicy, sweet fruit has begun to arrive in tonnes at the Ukkadam fruits and vegetable market.However, with the season just beginning, prices of the pulpy fruit are found to be on the higher side. Prices are expected to drop and stabilize after mid-April, when arrivals from across all mango growing regions start flowing into the markets.Retailers across the city have begun stocking multiple varieties of mangoes —right from Banganapalli and Alphonso to Senthuram and Imaam Pasandh.However, heavy indulgence on the juicy fruit over the next week or so might burn a hole in your pocket. While Banganapalli costs more than Rs 100/kg, good grade Alphonso mangoes cost around Rs 40 a piece in some shops.“It is not surprising because the wholesale rate of Banganapalli mangoes is Rs 40 to Rs 50 a kg and goes up to Rs 80 for high grade ones. Alphonso mangoes also cost between Rs 70 and Rs 140/kg depending on the grade,” joint secretary of Coimbatore Corporation Fruits and Vegetables Commission Agents Association A Faisal said.Imaam Pasandh mangoes are going up to Rs 140/kg at the wholesale stage, he confirmed.The reasons for high prices are attributed to arrivals from the Anamalai region yet to start in a full-fledged manner and the mango season yet to begin in other states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal.“Most of our arrivals are from Kerala border, Palakkad district and other districts like Kollengode,” said Mohammed Sadiq of M Kunhimon and Sons. “The arrivals from Anamalai region is yet to start. The fruits in most farmers fields are yet to ripen enough for harvest. It should be harvested after one month,” said Sahabuddin, horticulture officer for the block.Mango farmers in Anamalai however are a worried lot because the fruit formation and ripening seem 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 like we can harvest them only in mid-May,” said a mango farmer, A Kanagaraj, who has 400 mango trees of multiple varieties. “The fruit formation and growth are delayed mainly because of lack of rain in the last northeast monsoon and severe heat since February,” said another mango farmer, Rajesh Kannan.“Hardly 40% of my fruits are close to the plucking stage,” he said.The agents buying mangoes in bulk and sending it to other cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkatta is also leading to increased demand for just arriving mangoes.“Of the 50 to 75 tonnes of mangoes we receive in a contingent, almost 75% are bought by these agents and sent to their states. This will continue till mangoes in their regions are harvested, which is around April-mid,” said Faisal.“Once they stop buying mangoes in bulk, prices will start dropping and once arrivals start in full swing, prices will stabilize,” he added.

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