Coronavirus Pune: Lockdown hits mango supplies

Coronavirus Pune: Lockdown hits mango supplies

Pune: The mango season this year started on a low due to lack of supply amidst the ongoing lockdown. Punekars were unable to relish the king of fruits this year on the auspicious occasion of Akshay Tritiya.

Several mango traders in the city did not receive the boxes which they had ordered.

“For the first time in history, it has happened that the supply of mangoes was affected during Akshay Tritiya. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall supply chain is disturbed. Hardly 12 to 15 per cent of mangoes were available in the city market,” said Desai Bandhu Ambewale Director Mandar Desai.

“There was a good demand, but due to the lack of supply, many customers were unable to get the desired amount of mangoes,” Desai added.

“Normally, during this time, there is a supply of 25,000 boxes. This year, it was merely 2,000 boxes. In fact, in my shop for Akshay Tritiya, I used to have 2,000-2,500 boxes, but this year only 100-150 boxes were available. Customers were forced to buy the lesser quantity,” Desai further added.

The vegetable and fruit market of Market Yard is also closed since April 10 as the area comes under the containment zone, further reducing the supply of mangoes in the city.

Kelshi Parisar Amba Utpadak Sangh, Dapoli, Ratnagiri District had started door-to-door supply of mangoes in housing societies but are facing problems in supplying due to the lockdown.

Uday Joshi of Kelshi Parisar Amba Utpadak Sangh said, “There are a lot of areas in Pune which are under curfew. So it becomes difficult for us to supply mangoes in those parts on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. There was a good demand for mangoes in the city, but due to the lockdown, we were unable to supply.”

He further said, “Another reason for the uncertain supply is that if a driver comes to deliver in cities like Mumbai and Pune, upon his return to Ratnagiri, he is supposed to be quarantined for two weeks as these two cities are worst-affected.”

“Therefore, every time a driver comes to deliver, there is a reduction of the workforce which eventually affects the work at farms. All these reasons make it difficult for us to maintain the supply chain,” Joshi further added.

FACTORS BEHIND AFFECTED SUPPLY

  • Several mango traders in the city had not received the boxes of mangoes which they had ordered.
  • The vegetable and fruit market of Market Yard is also closed since April 10 as the area comes under the containment zone, further reducing the supply in the city.
  • If a driver comes to deliver in cities like Mumbai and Pune, upon his return to Ratnagiri, he is supposed to be quarantined for two weeks which reduces the workforce eventually affecting the work at farms.

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