Fruits of winter make way into households

VASHI: Oranges, lemons, melons, pears, apples, grapes-the fruits of winter have started arriving in abundance at the APMC market.
Seven tons of green coloured grapes arrived from Bangalore on Friday. While the wholesale price of the fruit is between Rs 120 and Rs 130 a kg, the retailers are selling it at Rs 300 a kg.
Bangalore grapes are largely used for making juices in hotels and food outlets.For domestic consumption the public still prefer the seedless variety from Nashik, which will arrive in a few days. By then the prize would come down by 20 to 30% a kg.
"The markets require 300 ton grapes between December and January," said trader Prakash Patil.
Currently the consumers are buying the imported grapes that come from Kenya, USA, Chile and China. Their wholesale price varies between Rs 145 and Rs 300 a kg in the wholesale market. In the retail market, they yield between Rs 250 and Rs 400 a kg.
Truckloads of orange have also started arriving . On Saturday, 33 trucks reached from Nagpur. More trucks are expected to arrive in the next couple of days.
"The wholesale price of orange varies from Rs 85 to Rs 100 per dozen. Retailers sell the same at Rs 100 to Rs 180 per dozen," said Santosh Yadav, a wholesale trader.
Though apple has been here for long, its demand hasn't withered. Forty trucks of Shimla and Kashmir apple arrived on Friday. While the Shimla apple is sold at Rs 90 to Rs 140 a kg, Kashmir apple is cheaper at Rs 60 to Rs 85 a kg in the wholesale market. In the retail market, they cost Rs 120 to Rs 170 a kg and Rs 90 to Rs 120 a kg, respectively.