Miyazaki, which has its origin in Japan, is the world’s most expensive variety of mango. Hussain brought the mangoes to the festival from his farm in Labhpur village, a 45-minute drive from Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan.
Kohitoor, a speciality mango from Bengal, fetched ₹2,500 a piece at the same event.
Not just speciality or rare ones, even more common varieties are fetching higher prices this year in most parts of the country, as unfavourable climatic conditions have hurt production.
Production of Alphonso mangoes, which are locally called Hapoos in Maharashtra and the Konkan belt, has halved to about 2.5 million boxes (each containing six dozen mangoes), driving up their prices, said traders. The Kesar mangoes from Gujarat too have become costlier.
Lower production is also affecting exports. The UAE, UK, US, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Canada, Singapore, Bahrain and Bhutan are the top importing countries. In FY23, India had exported mangoes worth ₹360 crore to these nations.The early crop of Alphonso mangoes in February was huge, but the production in April and May has come down significantly, thus pushing up prices, said Sanjay Pansare, director (fruit) at the Mumbai Agriculture Produce Market Committee. “Climatic conditions have impacted the production and the arrival (of mangoes) to the mandi.”
The few dozen Alphonso mangoes that come to the markets early in December-January, before the main mango season, fetch a price of ₹5,000 per dozen or more.
Kaushal Khakhar, an exporter of fruit and vegetables, said that when it comes to mangoes, price is not a barrier for Indians. “Consumers are ready to pay a better price for quality mangoes. However, the market is not aware of these sentiments,” said Khakhar.
Not only resident countrymen, overseas Indians are also ready to pay a premium for top-quality Indian mangoes.
Khakhar said Hapoos mangoes were sold for $50 per dozen in the US last year. “This year, the price is $25-35,” he said. The fall in price is due to lower freight rates.
The Miyazaki mangoes that Hussain sold at the Siliguri mango festival were bought by local people, underlining India’s love for the fruit.
Talking to ET, Hussain said: “Our family has been into mango farming for years. I was trying to grow some exquisite mangoes and tried my luck with Miyazaki.”
He bought a few saplings of the Miyazaki variety from Bangladesh and after one-and-a-half years of planting, he got 38 mangoes. “The plant needs extraordinary care,” he said.
A Miyazaki mango weighs 350 gm and can go up to 900 gm. Its colour changes from purple initially to flaming red when the fruit reaches peak ripeness. In the international market, these mangoes cost as much as ₹2.5 lakh per kg.
Raj Basu, co-partner of the June 9-11 Siliguri mango festival, said the price of Miyazaki mangos has attracted a number of farmers to grow the variety.