Chennai: Sun is at its peak like every other summer and this is the time when most people consume more fruits to keep cool. But ironically, the fruit vendors are sour about the poor sales this summer.
A visit by Deccan Chronicle to Koyambedu market, Asia’s largest perishable market, revealed a huge gap between demand and supply for some seasonal fruits like sweet lime and mango.
And adding to their woes is the scorching heat. Sales pick up only in the evening after the Sun retires for the day as the majority of the shoppers confine themselves to their homes through the day for the fear of facing the heat. When Deccan Chronicle visited the fruit market on Monday morning, it wore a deserted look with almost every shop being near empty.
Vendors blame it on the extreme heat wave conditions in Chennai for the dip in sales. The fruit sellers say they have witnessed a few changes in the pattern of sale for sweet lime this year as the selling rates have come down.
“This year, the highest quality of mousambi (sweet lime) is sold for a meagre '30 to '35 a kg, whereas the no. 3 and no. 4 variety sweet lime was sold for '40 to '45 a kg last summer.
The steep decrease in the rate is distressing, particularly when the demand is high. We are not able to understand the dip in prices,” S. Srinivasan, president of Chennai Fruit Commission Agent Association, told Deccan Chronicle.
Lakhs of people, not just from Chennai, but also from elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, flock to the Koyambedu wholesale fruit market to purchase fruits. While the rate of sweet lime has come down, fruit sellers have a consolation price, marginal increase in the price of muskmelon.
Unlike sweet lime, the price of muskmelon is based on the size of the fruit. Last year, the cost of the heavy fruit was Rs 12 to Rs 15 per kg, while the same is Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg this year.
“The cost of muskmelon has increased anywhere 25 per cent to 33 per cent,” Mr Srinivasan added. Another vendor Mohamed Nazeer, said, “Sales of pomegranate ha e plummeted to a new low. The supply is more than the demand. Prices are less and the demand is also less”.
Mangoes doing well
With summer keeping everyone on their toes, the fruit vendors at Koyambedu fruit market are vying for opportunities to scale up their sales.
Among the fruits that successfully met the demand of consumers, mango, has touched the rooftop.
“Imam pasand, an exclusive mango variety, saw a double-fold increase. Last year, Banganapalli, one of the sweetest varieties of mango was sold at Rs 30 to Rs 35 per kg last summer. There was no big difference in consumption and sales of the same type this year” said, S. Srinivasan, president of Chennai Fruit Commission Agent Association. Banana has lesser arrival than mangoes, especially at Koyambedu fruit market.
