THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: You can’t say it’s the mango season yet, but the juicy, golden fruits which won the heart of Mughal emperor Babur himself have started jostling for space with watermelons, pomegranates and apples in fruit stalls in the city. Many roadside stalls already boast some of the sweetest mango varieties available, including ‘Banganappally’ and ‘Panchavarnam.’ On Sunday, stalls in Fort were selling Banganappally at Rs 80 a kilo, while ‘Panchavarnam’ cost Rs 90. The prices, however, are expected to come down further when the really ‘serious’ consignments start coming in to Chalai by May, according to traders.
‘’Now, the mangoes are coming in from other states ‘loose.’ They are brought to Kerala by buses and mostly in small consignments,’’ a vendor in Fort said.
‘’The big consignments would start arriving in Chalai market only by next month,’’ he said.
Last year, Thiruvananthapuram literally enjoyed a mango feast with the State Horticulture Mission organising a Mango Fest, which served almost all the best-known varieties in the country.