Mangoes arrive earlier than usual this season in Hyderabad

The fruit is sold at the markets across the city at a price between Rs.150 and Rs.400 a kg. For now, only two varieties ‘benishan’ and ‘banganapalli’ are available in the markets in the city

Hyderabad: Mangoes have hit the city a bit earlier than usual and have arrived albeit on a smaller scale from God’s Own Country- Kerala.

The fruit is sold at the markets across the city at a price between Rs.150 and Rs.400 a kg. For now, only two varieties ‘benishan’ and ‘banganapalli’ are available in the markets in the city.

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The mangoes arrivals in the city usually start around January-end and continue till first week of the July. The peak season for the harvesting of the fruit is between March and June and around the period trucks laden with mango loads arrive from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat in the city.

“Arrivals of mangoes started since the beginning of the month. Anywhere between 10 and 80 quintals of mangoes are now arriving at the market every day,” said an official at the Batasingaram market.

Due to the limited quantity of arrivals, the prices are high and will continue to be so until January end. “In Kerala, the mango season starts from mid-December or first week of January and continues till May. The farmers sell the fruits to traders who supply it to other States,” said Mohd Qadeer, a fruit trader at MJ Market.

“The sales are picking up and out of love for the mangoes people are buying it. But not more than one kilogram,” said Sartaj, a fruit vendor at Shamsheergunj.

During its peak season, mangoes of different varieties flood the market in the city. The popular varieties that are loved more in the city are Himayati, Pedda Rasalu, Chinna Rasalu, Daseri, Neelam, Mallika, Sundari, Pandari, Apusa, Lal Bagh, Malguba, Gola, Mahamooda, Rumali, Palanguava, Benishan, Totapari, Cheruka Rasalu and Langda among other. The price of the mangoes in the city during normal season is between Rs. 70 and Rs. 150 a kilogram.