Mrunal Manmay Dash

Odisha market is witnessing a peculiar phenomenon this summer. The mango sellers, particularly the ones selling Banganpalli mangoes this year are reportedly forced to distress-sell their products.

And the reason being attributed is the oversupply of local mango varieties flooding the Odisha market.

As per reports, local mango varieties like Amrapali, Dasahari, Langada, and Mallika have caught the attention of buyers with their sweeter taste and low cost, leaving the Banganpalli mangoes which are procured from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, unsold.

Prakash Nayak, a Banganpalli wholesaler from Nayahata in Puri said, “This year local mango varieties are available in abundance. So Banganpalli’s are going unsold. I have incurred a loss of at least Rs 5 lakh during the recent Sabitri Brata. By this time, we usually sell more than 300 shipments of mangoes, but we have failed to sell even 50 by now.”

Even the consumers are of the same opinion.

“The first batch of Banganpalli tastes a little sour. It will look ripe yellow, but the taste is not that sweet. But in the case of the local varieties, sweetness is guaranteed. Be it Amrapalli or Dasahari, you can buy them blindly and won’t be disappointed,” said a mango buyer in Bhubaneswar.

Taste apart, the price also plays a role in determining consumer behaviour. As per reports, Banganpallis, after adding the transportation and storage costs, sell for Rs 40-50 per kilo, whereas, local varieties are sold at Rs 10-20 per kilo.

A fruit vendor in Bhubaneswar, Prashant Khatua said, “Banganpalli’s are priced higher than the local mangoes. We are finding it difficult to sell Banganpallis resulting in the mangoes going bad.”

On the other hand, local mango growers rued the fact that they cannot sell their produce in other markets due to lack of government assistance.

“We have land but cannot grow much due to lack of government incentives. If the government looks after us, we will be able to export local mangoes too,” said Prakash Sahu, a mango farmer in Konark.

  • Reported by:
  • NIRANJAN REDDY , CHANDAN PAIKRAY
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