Mango business booming in Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, May 8 (ANI): Visitors from across the country thronged in for the festival of the summer fruit, mango in Thiruvananthapuram, with more than 30 types of mangoes available on sale at an affordable price.

"The mangoes have come from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. We have 30 varieties of mango here, starting from Malgoa. These 30 varieties include the typical Kerala local varieties of mangoes too," said Ashraf, a mango trader in Thiruvananthapuram.

Mango, often called the king of fruits is grown in different parts of the country.

Arrival of the fruit from southern and western parts of the country hit the market mainly in April-May, while harvest in the north starts from May-end and runs till mid-July.

Different mango varieties from various parts of India were available for sale under the single roof of the festival.

The mangoes were on sale at an affordable price and it came as a sigh of relief for the customers amidst soaring demand and prices in the summers of southern India.

The event was a good opportunity not only for mango lovers but also for local vendors who wanted to boost their business.

Mango artwork with big artificial mangoes glorified the event.

Mango lovers did not seem to miss the golden opportunity as the festival witnessed a good influx of visitors who wanted to fulfill their wish to have mango as they craved for it.

"This is the second time the government is organizing such an event. It's a very good initiative by the government. They are bringing the cultivators under a single roof, the people in Kerala are experiencing such a thing, all the varieties are here, it's a very good initiative by the government," said Rohit.

Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kesar, Langra, Chausa, Mallika and Dussheri are the most popular varieties from across the country, and their prices vary.

Mango growers earn around rupees 70,000 to 75, 000 for every ton of mangoes exported to the U.S., and make an annual profit of rupees 4.5 million.

Though, India is the largest producer of mangoes, it accounts for less than one percent of the international mango trade, consuming most of its own output. (ANI)