This mango season, traders in state are staring at 60% losses

The Covid-19 pandemic has broken the supply chain of the Alphonso mango trade of the coastal Konkan region, which is now facing losses worth crores of rupees.

The Covid-19 pandemic has broken the supply chain of the Alphonso mango trade of the coastal Konkan region, which is now facing losses worth crores of rupees.

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The trade has been severely hit due to unavailability of labour and export via aircraft called off due to the global lockdown.

An estimate, drawn by mango farmers, wholesale and retail traders, pegs the losses of the industry at 50 to 60% of the normal annual income. Income from exports has also been reduced to 10 to 15% of the income every year, said traders.

The Alphonso mango is cultivated along coastal Maharashtra and is most popular in Ratnagiri district, from where it is supplied to the rest of the country and also exported abroad. It grows only during the summer months between mid-April and June. It is sold, not only as a fruit, but also in a variety of packaged forms such as pickles, juices, ice-cream flavours, syrup, and forms an ingredient in many Maharashtrian sweets. All of this is manufactured during these few months, as mango is an easily perishable fruit.

Moreover, as the mango industry is seasonal, the income received during these two and a half summer months is used by traders in this business all year round, for their sustenance, to grow the fruit for its next cycle, hire farm-hands to facilitate the cycle, and packaging and transport, until orders for the next year are made.

Rajesh Pednekar who is a wholesaler and retailer at Suyog Mangoes in Ratnagiri city, said, “There are a lot of losses as rates have halved. We used to earn Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000 per box, containing five to nine dozen mangoes, now we get barely Rs 1,700. There is a shortage due to unpredictable rains last year. Moreover, due to the lockdown, we are not supplying to the APMC market at Navi Mumbai. Mangoes are still being supplied to Mumbai and Pune with help of our supply chains and contacts with individual traders, but we do not have as many customers. My family has been in this business for over 60 to 70 years, but we have not seen this kind of uncertainty or losses before.”

Another trader, Madhav Lele, of Lele Agro Exports said, “We are not sending mangoes to APMC markets’ agents and are selling directly to customers if there is a bulk order of 100 boxes. However, this is no match to the routine business every year. Exports are happening to Dubai and London by sea. Air exports have completely been suspended. Only 10 to 15% of exports are presently happening, and income from exports has also been reduced to 10 to 15% of the income every year.”

To tackle the current trade slump, farmers and traders have come up with innovative ways to ensure continued supply and demand. Aditi Desai, of Desai Bandhu Ambewale traders in Pawas,said, “We have adapted to the situation and are directly delivering to the housing societies we receive bulk orders from. When people find out the supply is there, they order more. In cities like Mumbai and Pune, the demand never stops.”

Desai, who also has a business of packaging durable mango products said, “Mangoes need to be immediately sent to the market every day as they are easily perishable. For packaging, the main problem is the availability of labour and their payment. Our income has reduced this year, but we are paying our staff the same amount of money.”

Ganesh Khandilkar, who is a Sindhudurg-based mango cultivator, and a retailer for Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and other cities in Maharashtra said, “Mumbai always has a demand. When you send mangoes to Mumbai APMC, it gets sold right away but that has now stopped. We have to rely now on other supply chains and our contacts with customers. This is resulting in unpredictable losses. Farmers are getting less than 40% of the money they get every year.”

On the other hand, customers are unable to get their annual supply of mangoes. Suyash Dighe, a resident of Dadar said, “Every year I travel to Navi Mumbai and buy mangoes. However, this year I do not know where to source the mangoes from. I do not live in a housing society, where I can convince 100 other families to order boxes so we can get a direct bulk order from a supplier in Ratnagiri.”