Alphonso mango exports from Maharashtra are on the decline, top officials of the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) have said. The Geographical Indication (GI) tag could become a major aspect for export and the Marketing Board has therefore decided to come up with several incentives for GI products to encourage mango and other agriculture commodity exports from the state.
Of late, however, the demand for the Kesar variety of mango has been higher than for Alphonso, senior officials of the marketing board said. “Firstly, there is no extra premium for Alphonso and good quality Kesar is available at much cheaper rates. At the beginning of the season Alphonso commands very high rates in the range of Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,500 per kg while Kesar is available at Rs 75 to Rs 150 per kg,” the official said.
The government has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the Alphonso mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas, a move that will help identify the authenticity of this variety of fruit.
The Alphonso has long been one of the world’s most popular fruits and is exported to various countries including Japan, Korea and Europe. New markets such as the US and Australia have recently opened up.
The demand for mangoes is high from the US where there is a large Gujarati community that prefers Kesar over Alphonso, the official said. Of the total mango exports from the country, Kesar accounts for 50-55%, Bangnapalli accounts for some 30% of the export, Hapus or Alphonso another 13-15% and the remaining 40 other varieties account for the last 9-10% of the total outbound shipment.
[ Rs100 = €1.30 ]
