King of fruits has Indoreans hooked

INDORE: The king of fruits has arrived this summer in the city from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri and Devgarh.
A varied range of ‘Alphonso’ mangoes which start from Rs 900 per kg has Indoreans relishing their taste-buds at the three day ‘Mango Jatra’ festival.
The festival organized by Marathi Social Group had around ten farmers from Maharashtra’s ‘Sindhudurg’ displaying high quality ‘Alphonso’ mangoes.Organiser Aparna Lokhande from Marathi Social Group said that the season of mangoes have arrived and the consumers are enjoying every bit of it.
Starting from Rs 900 per kilogram, the higher range goes up to Rs 1200 and some are even more than that. Speaking on their Indore visit, farmer Tejas Pujare said, “The response is amazing and many people are interested in buying. Mangoes are selling like hot cake and next year we shall bring more mangoes.”
However, interestingly Indore Fruit Market Association has claimed that there is short supply of mangoes for domestic consumption owing to lower production and rising export orders pouring in especially from the Gulf countries. The association claimed that the consumption of mango has gone up by 25 per cent and is expected to increase further in the coming days. “Mangoes would be available at market only for next one month. Its demand is increasing with each passing day, but the supply in comparison is low,” said Indore Fruit Market Association secretary Naresh Fundwani.
At market the mangoes are being sold at a rate of Rs 150 per kilogram. However, visitors at the ‘Mango Jatra’ are excited about the arrival of mangoes in their kitchens. “Alphonsos are 100% certified organic mangoes and so many products can be prepared from mangoes like aamras and mango pulp,” said Saloni Vajpayee, a homemaker. “My kids are fond of mangoes and now they can have it in their diet chart,” said Neena Mehta, another homemaker from Saket Nagar.
Simhastha is playing a significant role in the rising prices of mangoes. Almost 30 per cent of the stock is being sent to Ujjain and nearby areas for the consumption of sadhus and pilgrims visiting the holy city.