Mango jelly makers in quandary in Vizianagaram district

Alamanda(Vizianagaram): As the coronavirus is tightening its grip on every sector, small-time traders are hit badly. Vegetable growers, milk producers and vendors have been affected. Now it is the turn of mango jelly makers.

It is a cottage industry in the district. The mango jelly sector has remained a non-starter this year. Alamanda, Bheemali, L Kota, Bhimasingi and a few more villages are famous for preparing of lip-smacking mango jelly in this season.

The mango jelly makers purchase mangoes from orchards in huge quantity and ripen them. They make jelly out of dried pulp. It was sold at Rs 120 a kg in retail and at Rs 80 a kg in wholesale.

But now with the Police and Revenue officials not allowing the workers to venture out, the entire process has remained a non-starter.

The workers used to assemble and extract the pulp from mangoes as part of making jelly. As the process involves workers assembling at one place without maintaining social distance, the officials have not allowed the jelly makers to go ahead.

K Ramana, a resident of Bheeemali village, said, "Actually by this time we would have been busy making mango jelly.