While Maharashtra takes pride in its Alphonso, for which it acquired a GI Tag in October 2018, people of the state are proving not to be Alphonso purists but rather big lovers of the mango. So much so, that when the first lot of Malawi mangoes, which are identical to Alphonso in taste and texture, arrived in Vashi APMC fruit market from East Africa on Saturday, the boxes were sold within minutes.
A shipment of 598 boxes hit the market which were priced between ₹4,500 and ₹5,500 per box at the wholesale yard. Pune-based retailer bought 100 boxes, the rest were sold to patrons from Mumbai. The season for these mangoes will be from mid-November to mid-December and more Malawi mangoes are expected to reach the market in the coming days.
The mango season in India stretches from April to July, and of the more than 1,000 varieties that hit the markets, the much-coveted Alphonso remains undefeated as the king. During its brief season, the obsession around it remains on par with Bollywood and cricket. Even in the off-season, such as November-December, Mumbaiites crave Alphonso and thanks to Malawi mangoes, the taste buds are satiated.
Anil Karhale, a retailer from Crawford Market says he has celebrity clients who purchased the Malawi mangoes from him. “Right from Sachin Tendulkar to Amitabh Bachchan, these mangoes go to several celebrity homes in Mumbai,” said Karhale, who has been getting the Malawi mangoes for the last two years now, had got 45 boxes on Saturday of which all got sold off. In the retail market, the price of Malawi is from ₹5,000 to ₹7,000.
Just like Alphonso from western Maharashtra, its African version which arrives from Malawi, a country in East Africa, has a tender, rich, creamy taste. The flesh of the mango is a saffron yellow in colour. The skin of a fully ripe mango is yellow with a red tinge and golden hue.
Around thirteen years back, the producers in Malawi got a few Alphonso mango sticks from Ratnagiri which were grafted and planted across a 26-acre farm. Today, it is spread across 600 acres. These mangoes were exported to India in 2018. The first 40-ton mangoes had arrived in the APMC market which then cost ₹1,500 per box. The popularity of these mangoes went off the charts which resulted in the arrival of 70 tons of mangoes in 2019. During Covid, only 15-ton Malawi mangoes reached the market which were priced between ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 per box.
“Indian mangoes are not available from October to December. In East Africa, this is the season when mangoes are harvested. Hence there is no clash between both the seasons and patrons are spoilt for choice. Indian Alphonso arrive from January till June from various parts of South and Konkan belt of Maharashtra,” Sanjay Pansare, importer of the Malawi mangoes from APMC market, said.
This year, according to Pansare, the crops yielded more fruits than last year and hence more number of Malawi mangoes are expected to reach the market in the coming days. “Malawi mango season is expected to be there till December 20 and a total of 75 tonnes is expected to reach the market. As the produce keeps coming in, the rates would go down but not as much as our Indian Alphonso. Mangoes give more produce every alternate year. Last year the produce was less and hence the rates were high and the quantity that reached us was also less,” Pansare, who is also the director of the fruit market in APMC, said, adding, “There is a huge demand for the mangoes as they are similar in taste to the famous Alphonso variety from Ratnagiri district. Retailers look forward to Malawi mangoes as both countries have different harvest windows.” The price of these mangoes is high also because they meet European standards as they undergo hot water treatment. “The sand and weather in Malawi is similar to that of India. That’s why they taste almost like the Alphonso. They smell similar to the mother plant which is here in India,” Pansare added.
Shaam Bherumal from Cuff Parade who purchased 100 boxes from Pansare has sold around 15 boxes on day one. “The mangoes will ripen in the next five days and by then we are expecting the stock to get over. Malawi mangoes, once they enter, get sold off and are mostly used in Diwali gifting,” Bherumal added.