Mumbai: Juicy fruits in summer pushes up the prices as well as the demand. The demand for Juicy fruits like watermelon has shot up With the rise in temperature this summer. This has also resulted in a price rise. The water enriched and nutritious fruit which was available around Rs 15 to Rs 18 per kg is now being sold over Rs 25 per kg.
There is a three to four times rise in demand and due to this, the price has risen as the traders in Mumbai and Maharashtra say.
Mumbai city not only receives watermelon from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu but also Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Currently, 100 to 150 trucks loaded with watermelon are arriving in the market.
According to the traders, the supply will increase in days to come and it will reach 200 trucks by the end of the month.
At present, the market is receiving ‘sugar baby’ and ‘Namdhari’ watermelon. The demand for ‘sugar baby’ is very high.
This is also a season of grapes and mangoes, with 15 to 20 trucks are filled with grapes .Around 15 to 20 vehicles laden with grapes are arriving in the market. While the normal grapes are available around Rs 600 to Rs 800 per 10 kg, the black grapes costs Rs 700 to Rs 900. However, the arrival of grapes has declined over the last few years. Traders say this is due to the deregulation of agricultural commodities as well as declining production due to unseasonal rains. There is an increase in supply of mangoes,price of this most loved fruit now has come down slightly. Earlier, the price of Alphonso mangoes would range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 for each box. Now, the price has come down to around Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500 for each box. One box contains around 4 to 6 dozen mangoes.
