With harvesting of Nuzvid ‘chinna rasaalu’, a mango variety, starting this week, the fruit has begun to arrive in the city. Barely two-days after the summer fruits’ arrival in the market, people scurried to get a taste of the fruit despite the skyrocketing prices. Tempted after spotting the yellow fruit on their way home, many of the people are found skipping their traditional obligation of waiting till Ugadi to taste mango. “Seeing the Nuzvid Rasaalu on the busy road junctions is something exciting. We are also fortunate to get this variety of rasaalu, for which people across the State and parts of India are crazy,” said a Bengali Jayanthi Karki, who settled down in Vijayawada. Farmers and petty fruit vendors believe that early flowering of rasaalu variety was the reason for their early ripening.

Besides the local vendors, many others are coming to the city all the way from Nuzvid, Railway Koduru, Agiripalli, Nunna and few parts in Nuzvid mandal. Instead of depending on local fruit market, G. Saikumar, who belongs to Agiripalli village in Nuzvid mandal, purchased bags of rasaalu at Nuzvid and transported them to the city for sale. “As the demand from public is unprecedented, many seasonal fruit vendors like me have come down to Vijayawada expecting good returns. Chances of the prices coming down are very less till other mango varieties arrive in the market,” said Mr. Siva Kumar.

Price

Based on the size of the fruit, the price of chinna rasalu is ranging between Rs. 200 and Rs. 400 a dozen. Largely, the fruit vendors are tapping the seasonal demand from the public by making availability of the mangos on footpaths and busy junctions in the city. However there is no chance for customers to choose as only ‘chinna rasaalu’ are available in the market.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by T. Appala Naidu / Vijayawada, March 25th, 2013