Maharashtra: Farmers see bumper sale of mangoes at ‘Amba Mahotsav’

The festival, which started on April 1, has seen 67 stalls being set up, of which 10 stalls were allotted to women self-help groups from the Pune Zilla Parishad and the remaining 57 to farmers.

Nearly 105 farmers including ‘Hapus’ mango growers from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and ‘Kesar’ mango growers from Kolhapur and Satara participated in the festival.

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This year, 2.5 lakh dozen mangoes were sold by farmers directly to consumers at the ‘Amba Mahotsav’ organised by Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB) in Pune.

In a statement, the MSAMB said this year the Amba Mahotsav had seen farmers from Konkan and other districts taking part. Introduced in 2002, this festival helps farmers bypass middlemen and sell the mangoes directly to consumers to ensure better returns for farmers as well as cheaper mangoes for consumers.

The festival, which started on April 1, has seen 67 stalls being set up, of which 10 stalls were allotted to women self-help groups from the Pune Zilla Parishad and the remaining 57 to farmers.

Nearly 105 farmers including ‘Hapus’ mango growers from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and ‘Kesar’ mango growers from Kolhapur and Satara participated in the festival.

Due to the untimely rains and early onset of summer in the first half of April, the availability of mangoes dropped leading to a price jump in the initial days of the season.

Back then, mangoes were sold at Rs 700-1,200 per dozen.

Later due to better availability, there was a significant drop in the prices in the first week of May.