Mohammad Hussain KhanWednesday, 24 Jun, 2009 09:23 PM PST
(Photo: A vendor displays his mangoes at a market in Rawalpindi — APP/File photo.)
HYDERABAD: The atmosphere is suffocating. The stench in the vegetable and fruit market is overpowering, but Ali Sher has to move fast amidst scorching heat, wiping sweat from his face. Looking completely exhausted, he is busy earning whatever he can before the current mango season comes to an end.
Thanks to its excellent flavour, the mango is rightly called the king of fruits. There are allegedly over a hundred varieties of mangoes, but only two are widely recognised — those from India and Pakistan and those from Southeast Asia.
Mangoes have been cultivated in many a country, but nowhere is it as ubiquitous as in the sub-continent; Hyderabad’s fruit market serves as the main outlet from where mangoes from Sindh are dispatched up-country by road and train.
Sindh produces a number of high-quality mangoes, with Sindhri remaining the most popular variety. Prices of unripe Sindhri mangoes this year vary from around Rs1,300 to Rs1,500 per 160 kg bag — showing a marked increase from last year, when prices ranged from Rs1300 to Rs1400.
Mango commission agents claimed that demand this year remains high, and will likely rise further as the season draws to a close. Last year, Sindhri was sold till June 5, but this year it is still widely available.
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