Junagadh: Even as the electoral fever has gripped Gujarat completely and nominations for the LS poll as well as assembly by-poll begin today, the mango-lovers of this western state also saw the first arrival of famous Kesar Keri (Mango) in Junagadh Marketing Yard and felt delighted.

Though the arrival of Kesar in the yard was 11 days later than that of last year (March 17), It was at least third consecutive year that it has arrived earlier than proper beginning of the mango season.

An office bearer of the yard said that around 100 boxes (of 10 kg each) arrived in the yard. ‘These were being auctioned at Rs 1000 to 1500 per box,’ he said adding that the mango has come from the orchards of Dungarpur village of Junagadh.

The mango, which is also a famous item of Saurashtra region of Gujarat like its Gir forests, the sole home of Asiatic lions, was sold at quite a costly rate of around Rs 180 to 200 a kg in retail market initially as against the peak season rate of Rs 30 to 60 a kg.

A wholesale fruit dealer of the yard said that the inflow of Kesar in to the yard would somewhat steam-line from next month and with proper advent of summer, when more and more lot of the mango would grow and ripe on the trees by itself, the arrival of Kesar in the yard would increase manifold.

Currently the unripe and smaller mangoes are arriving in larger proportion. These are used in various dishes and also to make special sour sauce.

Kesar mango, one of the favourite of Gujarati lot, is also liked by mango lovers of other parts of the country. It is also exported.

DeshGujarat