Bengal's Malda mango exports hit, sellers getting better prices in domestic market
Kolkata (PTI): Exports of mangoes from West Bengal's Malda district have been hit this year as exporters have failed to secure remunerative prices from overseas buyers, while sellers are getting lucrative prices in the domestic market, officials said on Saturday.
Importers from the UK and the UAE had initially shown interest, which could not materialise in shipments due to price disagreements, they said.
Sellers, however, are getting good responses from the domestic market as around 17 tonnes of Malda mangoes were sold between Rs 100 and Rs 150 a kg in an expo in Delhi, the officials said.
Wholesale prices surged by 50-80 per cent due to a combination of low-crop and high-quality produce.
"This year, export deals were scrapped by buyers from the UK and Dubai, who initially showed interest but couldn't meet our price demands," Malda Deputy Director of Horticulture Samanta Layek to PTI.
West Bengal Exporters' Coordination Committee general secretary Ujjwal Saha said there was some progress for shipments of 1,300 kgs of the Himsagar variety in the first tranche, but importers couldn't agree on the price in the final stage of negotiations.
Sellers in Malda were unable to export their mangoes for the past two years, and the efforts to break this trend did not succeed this time, he said.
Layek said mango prices soared this year due to a drastic fall in production caused by heatwaves and unseasonal rains.
"Production was down by 60 per cent this year due to adverse climatic conditions. The output was 2.2 lakh tonnes as compared to 3.79 lakh tonnes in 2023," he said.
Fazli, Himsagar, Laxmanbhog, Langra and Amrapalli are varieties of mangoes available in Malda.
Known for its sweet taste and rich aroma, the Himsagar variety of mango has no fibre and is considered one of the best mangoes available in India.
Mango growers in Malda require greater hand-holding from the government to manage pesticide use and better processing and storage facilities to maintain quality for exports, Saha said.
However, the Delhi Mango Festival saw a massive response with "17 tonnes of Malda mangoes fetched good prices", Layek said.
"Malda mangoes were sold between Rs 100 and 150 a kg," he added.
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Karnataka to witness heavy rain for next 10 days
Bengaluru: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the southwest monsoon will cause heavy rainfall likely this weekend and will drench Karnataka over the next 10 days.
The monsoon has begun retreating from northwestern India. Conditions remain active over the south, with an upper air trough extending up to 1.5 km over North Interior Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu, combined with weakening monsoon winds across the peninsula, is driving the current spell. N. Puviarasan, head of the IMD’s meteorological centre in Bengaluru, said in a conversation with Deccan Herald, “As a result, the whole of Karnataka will see rain over the next week to 10 days."
With a cyclone in the Pacific Ocean along with a low-pressure system over the north Bay of Bengal, the monsoon is expected to intensify during the next four days. IMD has predicted heavy rains across South Interior Karnataka, including Bengaluru, throughout the weekend.
Bengaluru, recorded widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on Thursday. Between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm, Bengaluru city logged 45.9 mm of rain accompanied by thunderstorms. HAL airport registered 6 mm and the Bengaluru Urban automatic station recorded 47.5 mm. Doddathoguru, near Electronics City, reported 55 mm.
According to IMD forecast heavy rainfall will occur at isolated places in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Yadgir, Koppal, Raichur, Ramanagara and Mandya districts in the next few days.
The southwest monsoon is now expected to extend until mid-October and with little or no break in between, the northeast monsoon is likely to follow immediately. These are expected to last until December. “There may be no break in between,” Puviarasan said.
