Compared to the price of over Rs 1,500 per box of five dozen (60 pieces, or Rs 25 per mangoe) in early March this year, wholesalers at the APMC are quoting the price at around Rs 250 to Rs 500 per box this time.

Currently the price of Alphonso mangoes is quoted at around Rs 250 to Rs 1000 per five dozen, depending on quality. Traders and wholesalers say the prices are likely to soften further over the next couple of weeks.

The Average daily arrivals at wholesale market at Vashi have increased to 150 truckload and according to leading fruit traders, within a week or so, arrivals of mango will start in full swing.

At present, arrivals of mangoes have started from the producing centres like Malvan, Vengurla, Rajapur, VijayDurg, Ratnagiri, and Alibaug, while arrivals from Gujarat is yet to begin.

Traders expect mangoes from Gujarat may reach Mumbai by the first week of next month whereafter depending upon the arrivals and quality the prices will slide further.

Usually, the arrivals of mangoes in the Mumbai markets commences by mid-February, but as last year this year too the arrivals were delayed. Last year the beginning of the season was delayed by about two months due to unseasonal rains in the month of December 1997.

Traders at Navi Mumbai expects the crop this season to be much better than the last year and prices will remain lower compared to last year.

Currently, Hapus and Payri varieties of mangoes are arriving mainly from the four producing centres, Malvan, Ratnagiri, Devgad, Vengurla. Malvan variety, quoted at Rs 200 to Rs 400 per box of three to six dozen; Devgad mangoes were priced at Rs 300 to Rs 1000, Ratnagiri mangoes in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 700 and Vengurla mango at Rs 300 to Rs 700.This year thequality of mangoes has been affected by some disease, hence the initial arrivals are not good for the export markets. These therefore, are diverted to the local markets. However, wholesalers expect arrival of even exportable mangoes by early next month.

Even the West Bengal agriculture marketing minister Biren Maitra has stated recently that this year his state will record bumper production of mango and the fruit might be exported to neighbouring countries including Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, according to commerce ministry sources, Japan is likely to lift the ban on import of Indian mangoes after India has successfully conducted vapour heat treatment (VHT) to eliminate beetles present in the fruit.

Once export starts in full swing, it will lift the prices. But, according to wholesale traders at Navi Mumbai, currently the quality of mangoes is not good enough.