Mango business at its peak these days

Patna, May 31: Their prices have come down from Rs 200 to Rs 40 a kilo in barely a month and are now selling like hot cakes. The season of mangoes is here and to add to the list of the variety of the fruit available in the market, the Malda mangoes have arrived with a price cut.

With rising temperature accompanied by the pre-monsoon rainfall, the mangoes are ripening faster. People are now buying the fruit in bulk, with many taking home 4kg to 5kg of the fruit.

Compared to other varieties, the demand for Malda mangoes goes up every year and like langra and dasheri, even they are available at Rs 40 now.

Shopkeepers agreed despite the availability of other kinds of mangoes, those imported from Orissa and Bengal are the most sought-after and the ones from Malda are the “bestsellers”.

With hot days ahead, shopkeepers are hopeful that their businesses will fetch more profit. “The increasing temperatures will help ripen the fruit and therefore, we expect our business to do even better,” Krishna Sahu, a shopkeeper at Phal Bazar near Income Tax roundabout, said.

“We also have other varieties of mangoes like rauban, gulab khas, langra and dasheri but customers are going for the Malda mangoes only because they have a unique taste and are less expensive compared to other varieties of mangoes,” Sahu said.

Another fruit seller Naresh Rai said: “The reason behind the sudden demand of Malda mangoes is because of the rain. Like everyone, even we were waiting for the rain. People wait eagerly for the Malda mangoes to hit the market. Most of the customers are buying mangoes in bulk.”

Asked about the reason behind the early sale, he said: “These mangoes ripe earlier than the other varieties. This is what makes them very popular. These mangoes have a rich aromatic flavour and customers get attracted to them because of their shape and green colour.”

Manisha Singh, a Boring Road resident, bought 5kg mangoes. “We could have bought the mangoes earlier as well but they were very expensive and I would have had to shell out about Rs 200 per kg. Now the price has come down and I am also getting my favourite brand of mangoes. My children love to have a glass of mango shake this time of the year, especially before going to bed,” she told The Telegraph.

Rishikesh Kumar, a resident Kidwairpur area, said: “I can recognise the mangoes from Malda by their smell. Not only is there a difference in their taste, there is also a different smell. Frankly speaking, if a mango lover has not tasted Malda then they are surely missing something. Even Alphonso mango is not that tasty.”