KATHMANDU, JULY 9
Mango production has been increasing in the country over the past few years.
According to the Department of Agriculture, in the fiscal year, 2020-21, a total of 466,267 metric tonnes of mango was produced from 43,689 hectares of land. In the FY 2021-22, the production rose to 498,859 metric tonnes from 39,579 hectares of land. In the current FY, 2022-23, the production has increased from 10.67 to 12.61 metric tonnes per hectare.
The production has swelled as this is the peak production season, said senior agricultural economist Sunil Kumar Singh, the department's spokesperson, adding that fruits produced in Nepal including mango are of quality comparable to other countries.
Increasing production has decreased the price of mango with substantial supplies. In general, the wholesale price of one kilo of mango was between Rs 40 and Rs 50 during this season. The same amount of mango fetched between Rs 80 and Rs 90 during the same period last year, said Amar Baniya, President of Nepal Fruit Wholesale Entrepreneurs Association, Kuleshwor.
However, the price varies when it comes to different varieties of mango. As the season is about to end, its price will also go up.
Maldaha mango is in high demand in the market. The retail price of this mango species was Rs 100 per kg. Dashahari variety is a bit costlier. In general, other species of mango were sold for Rs 100 per one-and-a half kg.
During peak season, around 100 tonnes of mango were supplied to Kathmandu Valley from Kuleshwor on a daily basis. Now, the figure has gone down to 50 tonnes, as the season is getting over.
Large quantity of mango was supplied to the market this time, thus reducing its price in the market. "This time, the price of mango was much cheaper compared to previous years as per around 25 years of my trade experience.
The production was also good," said Baniya.
He expects the sale of mango amounting to Rs 300 million from the market this year. It is hard to figure out the exact data of mango sales as there is lack of integrated transaction, he said.
According to him, the taste and quality of Nepali mangoes is good, and mangoes from outside the country cannot replace domestic product. Nepali mangoes can take over the market as mango production can take place even during off season, he viewed.
But, mangoes produced from outside Kathmandu Valley cannot get easy access to the Kathmandu market, he said. When they get to the Kathmandu market, they end up damaged and rotting resulting in difficulties in selling in the market, he lamented.
So, the government must focus on marketing, packaging and grading Nepali products, suggested entrepreneurs. "Bananas supplied from Maharashtra in India are found intact when they reach Kathmandu in five days.
But bananas supplied from Kailali district, which is much nearer Kathmandu than Maharashtra, are found damaged upon reaching Kathmandu," he said.
This is due to the packaging and grading problem, he viewed.
There is no uniformity in the price of mango as unripe mangoes fetch lower price, and ripe mangoes are sold for higher price. Similarly, other factors also matter. Traders reach out to farmers in the garden itself, and purchase mango trees with fruits. It means there are difficulties to determine the exact cost price and the selling price.
Most of the fruits are sold from the market in Kuleshwor while the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market sells only around 10 per cent of fruits, said Binaya Shrestha, deputy director of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Development Committee. The Market sold 1,382 tonnes of mango from the market between 14 April and 2 July, 2023. The figure had 50 per cent of mangoes (793 tonnes) supplied from Siraha district, 119 tonnes from Saptari, and 130 tonnes from Sarlahi. Twelve per cent (163 tonnes) were supplied from India.
Nepali mangoes dominate the local market during their season, and mangoes are supplied from India during the beginning and end of the season, and during the off season, he said.
During the beginning of its season, its price goes higher, and during the peak season, it becomes cheaper. The Nepali months of Jestha and Asar are the peak season for Nepali mangoes in general. Maldaha mangoes dominate 90 per cent of the total mango market, he said. In the first week of Jestha this year, mangoes were sold for Rs 228 per kg in the retail market, Rs 191, Rs 111 and Rs 86 towards the second, third and fourth week respectively.
Similarly, in the first week of Asar, one kg mangoes fetched Rs 62, and Rs 73, and Rs 75 in the second and third week respectively.
On July 2, the wholesale price of one kg mangoes was between Rs 60 and Rs 70.
Mango farming has occupied around 35 per cent of the total production area of fruits in Nepal, according to available data.
Commercial mango cultivation is done in 24 districts including Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Siraha, Saptari, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Dhanusha, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Dhading, Nawalparasi West, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Surkhet, and Kanchanpur.
Despite the potential, domestic production cannot meet the increasing demand for fruits, thus leading to the imports from neighbouring India mostly and other countries.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
