Indians know the Alphonso is the ‘king of mangoes’. If only they could buy some

A good-natured Twitter debate has reaffirmed the Maharashtra-grown variety’s cult status among lovers of India’s national fruit
But amid the country’s lockdown, farmers are sitting on tonnes of rotting fruit, unable to export them or get them to hungry local customers

Coronavirus pandemic

Vasudevan Sridharan

Published: 3:30pm, 2 May 2020

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Madhav Lele is sitting on a stockpile of well-ripened Alphonso mangoes harvested from his two 16-hectare orchards in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. He’s been following a good-natured Twitter debate about which mango variety is the best – but he is unsure whether the well-documented appetite for the Alphonso will be of any help in selling its fruits.

India’s “mango madness” season stretches from late March to July as different varieties of the fruit come into season. But it looks increasingly likely that India’s national lockdown – put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 – will extend well beyond the scheduled deadline of May 3, making it difficult for thousands of farmers like Lele to get their produce to customers.

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Of the 1,500-odd varieties of mangoes cultivated in India, the Alphonso is perhaps the most popular, and enjoys cult status among the country’s mango aficionados. But that didn’t stop a Twitter infographic from highlighting an easy-going, age-old rivalry among Indians over where their allegiances lie when it comes to the fruit’s regional varieties.

The Langra and Dasheri varieties, both grown in Uttar Pradesh, and the Kesar breed from Gujarat put up a decent fight, but the Alphonso, from the state of Maharashtra, emerged a clear winner. The variety is known for its golden saffron-coloured flesh, delicate pulp, rich, creamy texture and succulent taste.

Of course there were some oblique tweets asserting that the Alphonso’s flavour is overrated, but this is to be expected – India’s national fruit is also one of its most savoured seasonal delicacies, and passions over it run high.

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The common mango, Mangifera indica, has been domesticated in India for more than 4,000 years. The country produces some 22 million tonnes of mangoes every year. While the bulk of these are enjoyed at home, more than 50,000 tonnes – chiefly the Alphonso variety – are exported around the world.

Consequently, the Alphonso is bearing the brunt of the Indian lockdown, which has pulverised various trade and supply chains. The global nature of the Covid-19 pandemic means the export markets are practically closed, and farmers are unable to access the usual distribution channels.

“All my mangoes are now rotting and I’m unable to do anything,” Lele said. “Usually, I export the Alphonso mangoes to my clients in the Middle East and Singapore but everything has ground to a standstill.

“A private airline is asking for 350 rupees (US$4.60) per kilogram, double the price of the mangoes, to transport them. There is no way my purchasers and I could afford that.”

Alphonso sales are forecast to decline from 30 billion rupees to 10 billion rupees (US$395 million to US$132 million) but it could be worse. Some farmers in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra, where the variety is grown, say just 2 per cent of their produce has reached the market during the lockdown.

According to India’s National Mango Database, about 160,000 hectares in the state are used for mango cultivation, which supports the livelihood of up to 1 million farmers.

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Maharashtra, responsible for 95 per cent of India’s Alphonso production, is also the state worst affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. India has more than 35,000 confirmed cases of the disease, almost 10,500 of which are from the state – which also accounts for about 40 per cent of coronavirus-related deaths in the country.

Compounding the farmers’ difficulties, even regional wholesale markets are suffering amid the lockdown. And despite influential trade associations attempting to ease the situation by negotiating with state and central governments, mango producers are in the peculiar situation of dealing with a surplus instead of apologetically explaining they have run out of the fruit.

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