Wednesday, September 3, 2008

mango saga


Earlier in the blog you can see various references to the mangos in my property and how we pluck and sell them etc. This season we were lucky just to get about 200 mangos, when last year we had in excess of 2,000. This is another drop resulting from the unusual weather pattern that has seen an almost non-existent crop of rambutan. Needless to say word was out that I had brought some mangos, and within seconds people clamored for the few I had and I had to fight to keep some for my reliable customers in Colombo.

One particularly large tree that yielded at least Rs30,000 in mangos last year did not give me even 20 mangos and I decided for once to indulge my self with this largess! The photo is of the few rata amba I brought today for sale at Rs30 ea and I know the fruit kade I sell King Coconuts to in Pelawatte sells the same for Rs70.

On serious note it is quite difficult until one actually cuts the mango to determine if it is spoilt and inevitably this is a complaint that I hear despite all the steps to reduce this happening. That is why I say only 10% of the actual crop that spawns from the flower actually gets eaten by a human with animals taking a greater share