Now, savour Devgad Alphonso in Pune

Mango lovers in the city can now relish the world’s best Alphonso mango from Devgad, a coastal town in Sindhudurg district, at the right price.

The mango growers of Devgad have set up an exclusive stall at the building of Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board in Market Yard to sell the fruit at Rs800 per dozen. Citizens can also place their order on www.devgadmango.com or contact Dhiraj Bane at the Pune APMC stall or call on 9421239406.

The Devgad Taluka Mango Growers Cooperative Society, with 700 growers, has set up the facility in the city. The society’s founder, Ajit Gogate, told DNA that a majority of the total produce from the taluka used to go to the Vashi market.

“We are now looking at Pune as a new market. Small growers failed to get the right value for their produce because of middlemen and big growers. We wish to give customers good quality mangoes at a suitable price, while ensuring a fair deal to growers,” Gogate said.

The move will also help the society tackle the problem of fake varieties entering the market. The society’s manager, Santosh Patkar, said many fakes of Devgad Alphonso are sold in the market. Many mango traders all over the country use Devgad Alphonso and Devgad Hapus as a generic brand name to sell any mango. Artificially ripened mangoes are also a problem.

Fostered by a unique combination of soil, water and weather in the coastal region, the Devgad Alphonso matures into a bright yellow fruit with a red blush.

Devgad taluka, comprising 70 villages, produces close to 50,000 tonnes of Alphonso in about 45,000 acres of land. Devgad accounts for more than half of the country’s mango production.
The society is in the process of getting geographical indication for the Alphonso along with the Konkan Agriculture University and growers from Ratnagiri.