Alphonso Mango is a seasonal mango cultivar that is considered as one of the best in terms of

sweetness, richness and flavor.

[3]
It has considerable shelf life of a week after it is ripe making it
exportable. It is also one of the most expensive kinds of mango and is grown mainly in western
part of Indiasuch as Ratnagiri, Raigad, and Konkan. It is a seasonal fruit with each mango
weighing between 150 g and 300 g.
Mango (Mangifera indica Linn) is the most important fruit of India and is known as King
of fruits. The fruit is cultivated in the largest area. and the production is around 15.03
million tons, contributing 40.48% of the total world production of mango. The main
mango producing states in India are Uttar Pradesh (23.86%), Andhra Pradesh
(22.14%), Karnataka (11.71%), Bihar (8.79%), Gujarat (6.00%) and Tamil Nadu
(5.09%). Total export of mangoes from India is 59.22 thousand tons, valuing Rs. 162.92
crores during 2010-11. India exports mango to over 40 countries worldwide. The major
importing countries of Indias Mangoes during the period of 2010-11 were UAE
(61.79%), Bangladesh (11.41%), UK (8.92%), Saudi Arabia(3.79%), Kuwait (2.32%),
and Bahrain (2.19%) respectively.
Mango is grown almost in all the states of India. Uttar Pradesh tops the list of mango producing states. Other major
producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar and Gujarat. Rest of the states has quite less
production. The details are given below in the table.
YEAR AREA(000 ha) PRODUCTION (000tons) PRODUCTIVITY (tons/ha)
2006-07 2153.87 13733.97 6.38
2007-08 2201.38 13996.78 6.36
2008-09 2308.98 12749.77 5.52
2009-10 2312.30 15026.69 6.50
2010-11 2296.80 15188.38 6.61

Major producing states with production of last three years
Uttar Pradesh is the leading mango producing state with production of 3,623.22 thousand tons followed by Andhra
Pradesh state which has production of 3,363.40 thousand tons. Then comes Karnataka 1,778.75 thousand tons,
followed by Bihar and Gujarat i.e. 1,334.87 and 911.30 thousand tons respectively. Area, production and productivity
of mango in different states are given in table.

AREA (000ha)
PRODUCTION (000tons) PRODUCTIVITY (tons/ha)
2008-09 2009-10 2010-
11
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
2008-09
2009-
10
2010-11
Uttar Pradesh 271.20 276.42 267.22 3465.95 3588.00 3623.22 12.78 12.98 13.56
Andhra Pradesh 497.70 480.41 391.09 2522.00 4058.35 3363.40 5.07 8.45 8.60
Karnataka 141.29 153.80 161.57 1284.42 1694.00 1778.75 9.09 11.01 11.01
Bihar 144.07 146.03 147.01 1329.80 995.94 1334.87 9.23 6.82 9.08
Gujarat 115.69 121.52 130.10 299.82 856.74 911.30 2.59 7.05 7.00
Tamil Nadu 148.84 132.68 148.04 821.41 636.29 823.74 5.52 4.80 5.56
Orissa 164.25 177.63 190.08 449.71 577.48 642.01 2.74 3.25 3.38
West Bengal 85.971 88.14 89.53 548.92 578.00 620.17 6.38 6.56 6.93
Jharkhand 31.848 15.10 38.90 91.52 254.30 427.94 2.87 16.84 11.00
Kerala 76.70 63.75 62.20 445.40 373.17 380.86 5.81 5.85 6.12
Maharashtra 45.70 474.50 47.70 712.80 597.00 331.00 1.56 1.26 0.70
Others 585.72 182.32 6623.36 778.02 817.42 951.12 1.33 4.48 0.14
Total 2308.98 2312.30 2296.80 12749.77 15026.69 15188.38 5.52 6.50 6.61
Alphonso mangoes may cost a few rupees less this season if an initiative of the
Maharashtra Government to reduce the transportation costs succeeds.
According to the proposal of the Agriculture Department, mango-growers from the Konkan
region, where the Alphonso magoes are largely cultivated, can directly ship their produce to
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
They can load their product in containers at the Jaigad port and off-load at the JNPT.
"Once at the JNPT, farmers have the choice of export, going to the Agriculture Produce
Market Committee (APMC) or directly to the consumers," officials in the Agriculture
Department said adding that the overall cost of the mangoes can come down by eight to ten
per cent.
At present, mangoes are transported in trucks from Konkan. "This affects the quality,
increases the diesel cost, handling charges, resulting in high price of the Alphonso mango,"
officials informed.
They said, farmers also have to pay six per cent cess at the APMC.
Mango producers can directly take their product to the consumers. "This will benefit the
consumers and producers," they said.
Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board will be the nodal agency. "Modalities are
being worked out on whether the board should hire private agency for the loading and off
loading," officials added.



Maharashtra government has formed a high-level committee to investigate the recent fall
in mango prices and to formulate the process to comply with European Union norms so that
the import ban can be revoked.

The committee formed on Wednesday consists five members and has been asked to
submit its report by May 22. The department of cooperatives, marketing and textile, which
deals with the mango import, has advised the members to find out the persons responsible
for the fall in mango prices in the state.

The country's largest exporter of mangoes, Maharashtra last year exported 4,000 tonnes of
mangoes to EU countries. According to officials, this accounts for 7% of the total exports of
mangoes. The United Arab Emirates is the largest importer of mangoes from Maharashtra.
It imports around 25,000 tonnes of mangoes each year, accounting for 50% of the state's
total export.
Mango prices in Kolhapur and adjoined markets such as Sangli, Satara, Karad, Miraj and
Pune are falling since last three-four weeks. The largest market in the western Maharashtra,
Pune recorded the arrival of 28,000 wooden baskets this week. "The Ratnagiri mango is
priced between Rs 800 to Rs 1,700 a basket of four to seven dozens in the Pune market.
The other mangoes are priced between Rs 800 and Rs 1,700 for a basket of four to seven
dozens," said Rohan Ursal, trader from Pune.
The large firms employ a large number of workers i.e, 700. The small firms on the other hands
employ only 256 workers. The small firms produce 860 tons of mango pulp per unit whereas the
large firms produce 5,995 tons. Total revenue generated, on an average, varies from Rs. 161.25
lakh for small firms to Rs. 1361.6 lakh for large firms. Net revenue available for small firms was
Rs. 11.25 lakh and Rs. 40.93 lakh for large firms. Thus, it is evident that the processing firms
are profitable.
Market Price and Mango:
In case of Aurangabad market, the regression coefficient of price is negative and significant in
2005 and 2006 while it was positive but not significant in 2004. In Kolahpur market, the
regression coefficient of price is negative in 2004, 2005 and 2006 though it was significant in
2004 only. Hence, these estimated equations largely substantiate the inverse relationship
between arrivals and price. In the event of more arrival there is a fall in market price. Amrapali
variety of mango in Malda, West Bengal fetched the highest price at Rs 1500 per quintal,
followed by Himsagar at Rs 1,300 per quintal, Langra at Rs 1,200 per quintal and Laxman /
Gopalbhog at Rs 1,000 per quintal during 2004. Price realized for Amrapali mango, however,
reduced to Rs 1,300 per quintal in 2005 and 2006.

The people of India have a deep connection with mangoes. Every person claims to have at least one
favorite kind but the Alphonso mango is undoubtedly the king. Anyone who has eaten it will attest that its
distinctive flavor is hard to forget. However, the last couple of years have spelled trouble for mango
farmers inIndia.
Due to the change in weather, there has been an increase in pests as well. This means that farmers have
had to use chemical fertilizers. Alphonso mangoes only yield once a year, which means a poor harvest
could wellruin a farmer and this has been the second poor harvest in a row.
COIMBATORE: The king of fruits has become scarce and expensive in western Tamil
Nadu due to poor yield caused by adverse climatic conditions in the mango hubs of
Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri. The highly popular Malgova variety is hardly to be seen while
Alphonso costs more than Rs 180 a kg in the wholesale markets of Coimbatore.
This year's harvest in India will be 50% lower than last year. That translates into
a huge loss in fruit and trade for the farmers.
The problem is the changing weather conditions. The Alphonsos are a bit like
French wine, they need a very special mix of weather and the right kind of soil to
produce the delectable fruit. This year winter was unusually cold and it lasted a
long time. Much lower temperatures during the night, in contrast to the day, killed
the baby mangoes which are not used to such conditions. The bad weather
delayed the ripening of the fruit and thus its supply to the market. The estimates
are that there will be almost 50 to 60 per cent less than the last year.



Directly linking this to climate change might be premature, but it's certainly
consistent with the sort of weather weirding predicted to occur: 80% of
India's Alphonso mangocrop for the year has been destroyed as a prolonged
winter gave way immediately to scorching summer heat, which killed off the
flowers and fruit. The mango needs temperatures in the 30-36C range for the
fruit to mature after the trees flower in November and December. But this year
temperatures soared to 41C (106F) by the beginning of April.
According to reports in the Times of India, the crop yield is barely 10% of what it
normally is in some places, with flowers "burnt crisp."
Means of transport
Aircraft, ship, truck, railroad
Container transport
Refrigerated container with fresh air supply or controlled atmosphere.
Cargo handling
Mangoes are highly pressure- and impact-sensitive and appropriate care must therefore
be taken during cargo handling. The cold chain must at all costs be maintained, since
the cargo will otherwise spoil rapidly. In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be
protected from moisture, as there is otherwise a risk of premature spoilage.
1. INTRODUCTION
An efficient transport system is critically important to efficient agricultural marketing. If
transport services are infrequent, of poor quality or expensive then farmers will be at a
disadvantage when they attempt to sell their crops. An expensive service will naturally
lead to low farm gate prices (the net price the farmer receives from selling his produce).
Seasonally impassable roads or slow and infrequent transport services, coupled with
poor storage, can lead to losses as certain crops (e.g. milk, fresh vegetables, tea)
deteriorate quickly over time. If the journey to market is made over rough roads then
other crops (e.g. bananas, mangoes) may also suffer losses from bruising; this will also
result in lower prices to the farmer. Agriculture is best served by consistent high urban,
and international, demand. This is best brought about by an efficient, high volume,
transport and marketing system where the transporting and marketing unit costs are
low. If the margin between what the farmer receives from the sale of his produce and
what the urban consumer pays for his produce is high then the effective demand
transferred to the farmer will be correspondingly be reduced. Similarly if internal
transport costs in a country are particularly high then the scope for agricultural exports
will also suffer in comparison with other more efficient countries. The pattern of
agricultural marketing is strongly influenced by the nature of transport services. Many
developing countries suffer from monopolistic, low volume and high cost transport and
marketing systems. Economies of scale are present in both transport and marketing
operations.
"Due to the variation in temperatures and the erratic rainfall patterns, most of the mango
crop in Goa has been damaged. As a result, there's a shortage in supply of mangoes in the
market, which have led to soaring prices. The flowering of mangoes was affected due to
change in the weather and has also brought down the size of the fruit available this year