Now, Maharashtra and Karnataka lock horns over mangoes

The king of mangoes – Alphonso – is at the centre of a battle amongst Maharashtra and Karnataka. Following finding complaints from mango growers in Maharashtra that Alphonso-like produce from the bordering State are feeding on into their margins, Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Dada Bhuse has stepped into the fray.

He explained stringent legal action would be taken against all those concerned in offering ‘fake’ Alphonsos in the industry.

The Minister has asked Agriculture Deliver Sector Committees (APMC) markets to retain a check out on traders passing off other types of mangoes as Alphonso. Vaibhav Naik, MLA from the Konkan area a short while ago approached the Agriculture Minister with a grievance that Maharashtra’s Alphonso growers had been struggling heavy losses since of “fake” Alphonsos from the neighbouring State.

Special GI tag

Alphonso mangoes from Konkan have a GI (geographical indications) tag for their one of a kind flavor, aroma and color. Violation of GI of Products (Registration and Security) Act, 1999, appeals to a jail term of six months and ₹50,000 in penalty.

Even as some researchers believe that that the Portuguese brought Alphonso to Konkan, scientists and farmers in the area assert that it is a neighborhood product and the Portuguese took it to the globe industry.

The king of mangoes is a person of the key resources of profits for the Konkan farmers. Devesh Deodhar, a trader, who acquired Alphonsos to market in the Pune industry, explained he attempted to retail them for ₹1,two hundred (small sizing) and ₹1,500 ( significant sizing) per dozen. “But some buyers explained that they had been finding it at ₹500 per dozen. Any grower of Alphonso are unable to find the money for to market the fruit at this fee. Clearly, there are other types of mangoes which are being offered as Alphonso,” he points out.

Varieties developed

India is residence to about one,000 types of mango. However, only a couple of types are commercially cultivated all through India. Maharashtra farmers mainly increase Alphonso, Kesar and Pairi even though Karnataka farmers increase Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli, Pairi, Neelum and Mulgoa.

In accordance to APEDA, the key mango-increasing States are Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh ranks first in mango production with a share of 23.forty seven per cent and the maximum efficiency.