Mangoes may cost more this year

Mangoes are likely to be expensive this year as the country's overall production is estimated to come down by upto 20 per cent because of crop damage in some states due to last month's unseasonal rains, industry body Assocham said.

Rising exports orders from UAE, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bangladesh and other countries is also expected to put pressure on availability of this summer fruit for domestic consumers, it added.

"Mango production across India, in all likelihood, will remain about 15-20 per cent lower than last year’s level of 18 million tonnes (MT) and even the exports are likely to remain muted this year," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawats said while releasing the chamber’s study.

Over 50 per cent of mango trees are estimated to have been affected and the fruits have also been damaged in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh owing to unseasonal rains in early March, the study said.

There could be upward spiralling of prices as mango arrivals are likely to hold up from these five states, which together account for two-third of India’s total mango production, it added.

The study observed that the increase in mango exports -- which has grown by over 27 per cent in the last three years to Rs 267 crore in 2012-13 from Rs 164 crore in 2010-11 – has also impacted domestic supplies thereby leading to price rise.

The UAE is the top export destination for India's mangoes accounting for over 61 per cent share followed by UK and Saudi Arabia.

Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh together account for about half of the total mango production in India. Of over 1,300 varieties of mangoes grown across the world, India alone cultivates over 1,000 varieties of the fruit.