Soaring prices to make avakaya much dearer

​Visakhapatnam: Telugus all-time favourite ‘Avakaya’ (year-long mango pickle) will be dearer this season. With the damage of 50 per cent mango crop and skyrocketing prices of main ingredients sesame oil, red chilli, mustard, garlic and methi, this year Avakaya will be costly affair. 

The green mango, which is supposed be ready by April first week, is still in the mid tendering stage and not grown up to prepare the Avakaya. Not only Avakaya, the other yearlong pickles will also be a costly affair to the middle-class in the season. 

Green mango is famous in Andhra Pradesh with mouth-watering several world famous varieties, including Cheruku Rasalu, Banginapalle, Nuziveedu Rasalu, Panchadara Karisalu, Kolamgoa and several other varieties are popular to make year-long pickles including Avakaya and Magayi.

Andhra Pradesh is known for yielding good crop in all the 13 districts every year. However, during the past two seasons, unfavourable weather conditions has taken heavy toll on the crop. It was mainly the fog and cool climate in December and January that damaged the progress of the crop. 

According to the horticulturists, 25 per cent of the crop was damaged at flowering and tender mango stage across the state due to the sudden climatic changes. Added to this, thundershowers and gusty winds, damaged the green mango which was growing at a healthy stage.

“Pickles are made with raw mangoes. In fact, by April fist week, the raw crop should have entered the markets for pickle-making. At present there is no flesh and the seed is still tender. This year cost of mango will be high due to less crop yield,” said K Pydithalli Naidu, a mango exporter from Vizianagaram.

Meanwhile, the prices of other ingredients for the pickles, including sesame oil, red chilli, garlic, and methi almost doubled. For preparation of pickles, people mostly use the sesame oil, Guntur branded red chilli powder and garlic. The high quality of the red chilli, which is mainly used for pickle-making, is now available at Rs 250 per kg, sesame oil 300 per kg and garlic Rs 100 per kg.

“During the pickle time, officials should regulate prices of the commodities. As there is no proper enforcement, the traders are selling at high prices. Even at the wholesale shops the prices are high. It quite common sense that when it hits retail markets, prices increase minimum by 20 per cent,” said Ch VKR Satyavathi, a retired school teacher.