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Coronavirus lockdown: Mango trade hit, prices may drop
The coronavirus outbreak has hit the lucrative seasonal trade of alphonso mangoes in Maharashtra owing to logistical issues after the lockdown, traders have said.
The coronavirus outbreak has hit the lucrative seasonal trade of alphonso mangoes in Maharashtra owing to logistical issues after the lockdown, traders have said.
Exporters and traders told HT that the supply chain is hit owing to the reduced manpower (such as truck drivers), poor attendance at customs, lack of demand in foreign and local markets.
Several mango traders mango anticipate that if restrictions are extended beyond the 21-day period, nearly a half of the produce harvested in Maharashtra’s Konkan region would never be picked up from the farmers for sale.
In such a situation, the price of mangoes may come down this summer. While the state and the central governments have emphasised that the supply of essential commodities such as fruits will not be hit, the traders claim that the unavailability of labour is one of biggest challenges they have been facing during the lockdown.
The Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) has also decided to cancel the annual mango festival this year owing to the lockdown. The festival provides a platform for farmers to sell mangoes directly to buyers across various cities of the state.
Meanwhile Sunil Pawar, managing director of MSAMB, said, “This year, the export of mangoes will not be possible owing to the unprecedented situation. However, we can work towards optimising our domestic market, as mango is a fruit and thus comes under the essential commodities.”
According to wholesalers at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Navi Mumbai, there are around 50 countries, including those in the Middle East and Europe, which import mangoes from India, of which a majority has been imported from Maharashtra. The shutting of passenger flights by the Centre, in which majority of the produce was transported, will hit their business, as cargo flight routes are limited and costlier as compared to passenger flights.
Sanjay Pansare, former director of APMC, Navi Mumbai, said, “Even if there is demand for mangoes abroad, the environment in India is not favourable for it currently. We have traders who have purchased mangoes around one week ago for export to Kuwait, but have not yet been able to do so despite willing to hire a chartered cargo plane. We could not manage to get a plane and there is also lack of staff in customs for our exports to be cleared.’’
He added that other local logistical factors are too not favourable due to which wholesalers in Mumbai are not picking up mangoes despite offering them at Rs 500 per dozen in the month of March when they’re costlier.”
The mango season generally picks up in March and April, and traders claim in these months the mangoes are sold to wholesalers at around Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 dozen, which substantially comes down to Rs 100-200 per dozen as the season rolls out in April and May with the demand increasing.
Another Baramati based exporter of mangoes Abhijeet Bhasale said, “We don’t have labour to transport the mangoes to the airport in Mumbai. Due to the lockdown, we are not able to pick up the stock from farmers owing to lack of availability of transport and restrictions on movement. We have a poor response from international markets but the scenario in the domestic market is not any different either.”
He added that the focus now is on stocking up essential commodities. “In the domestic market, citizens currently have to ensure that essential commodities are stocked up and mangoes are not a priority. Even if they are in demand, there is nobody to transport them as most of our labour is from Jharkand, UP [Uttar Pradesh] and Bihar and they have gone back home. All this would mean that half of the harvest will not reach markets, resulting in the prices going down owing to less holding power among all stakeholders,” Bhasale said.
