Mango prices have fallen, and officials attribute it to many factors. The Nipah (NiV) scare led to the ‘king of fruits’ having a turbulent run in the market. “There has been a 30 per cent reduction in sales,” confirmed K M Parashivamurthy, Additional Director, Horticulture Department.
Most retail chains and supermarkets in the city have seen no change in the prices of the commodity since the virus was reported, but street vendors have had to bear the brunt. Customers are scared to buy from streetside carts and pick up their favourite fruit from supermarkets, some vendors say.
Supermarkets have not altered prices although they offered some discounts when the virus scare was at its peak. “The prices in our store have been pretty much the same as there hasn’t been any hike or lowering of the mango rates. The sale had weakened for about a couple of days due to Nipah virus but, it has now got back to the normal rate,” says Danadan, head of the fruit department at Nilgiri’s supermarket chain on Brigade Road.
Srinivas, a mango seller from Kolar district who visits the city during the mango season, says, “This year our sales came down drastically because of the Nipah virus scare in Kerala. People are scared to buy from vendors like us even though we grow our mangoes in Karnataka. There is sadly no way we can prove our fruits are safe. Despite bringing down the price, the sales have remained the same.”Srinivas has been participating in the MG Road mango mela.
According to fruit vendors, discounts have not improved sales of the more expensive varieties like Alphonso and Mallika.
Compare prices
Alphonso
Supermarket on Brigade Road : 250/kg
Mango mela at MG Road Metro Station: 105/kg
Roadside vendor on Brigade Road: 105/kg
Malgova
Namdhari’s Fresh supermarket on Frazer Town: 180/kg
Mango Mela at MG Road Metro Station: 90/kg
Mangoes at 11 Metro stations
Namma Metro has been hosting a mango mela since last year. It partners with Hopcoms and sets up stalls at 11 stations, including the one on M G Road. Farmers from different parts of Karnataka set up stalls and sell their produce at the stations.