Trading activity declines in Nunna mango market

Vijayawada: Nunna mango market, one of the biggest mango market in the country with over 70 shops and marketing facilities, is gradually losing its significance due to decline of business and inflows of mangoes to the market. The mango market was established about 15 years ago by some mango traders for the convenience of farmers and traders.

Earlier, thousands of farmers used to bring mangoes to the market and traders from many parts of North India used to visit the market for purchase of mangoes. Juicy varieties, Totapuri and Banginapalli mangoes are exported from Nunna mango market to other states particularly North Indian states.

Over the years, the Nunna mango market lost its sheen as local markets were gradually developed in Mylavaram, Tiruvuru, Nuzvid, Vissannapeta and other places. The mango traders have developed contacts with small traders in the mandal-level markets known as Mandis and directly purchasing mangoes from them.

The traders need not pay 2 per cent of cess if they purchase mangoes from local traders in the mandals like Mylavaram, Tiruvuru, Agiripalli, Nuzvid, Vissannapeta. Marketing department used to collect 2 per cent of cess on the turnover of Nunna mango market. The State government earned crores of rupees in the form of cess on the turnover for more than 10 years.

With gradual decline of trading activity at the Nunna mango market, the department decided not to collect the cess from the traders this summer season, said M Akram, president of Nunna Mango Traders Association. He said the trading activity was declining over the years in the market. By Saturday, trading was started in less than 10 shops.

More than 60 shops were not opened due to lack of trading activity in Nunna mango market. The mango market has infrastructure facilities like roads, parking facility and godowns for storage of mangoes. But, due to development of local markets in mango cultivating areas like Nuzvid, Tiruvuru, Mylavaram, Vissannapeta, the Nunna mango market lost its significance.

Moreover, the Krishna district is also losing its importance on cultivation of mangoes due to falling of ground water levels, decreasing output due to old age trees, falling remunerative prices, adverse weather conditions and change of cropping pattern from mango to guava and other crops by the farmers, said S Ajay Babu, assistant director of horticulture.