Varietal Differences in the Supply Chain of Two Mango Varieties in South India M. Sudha F. Kruijssen Indian Institute of Horticultural Research Bioversity International Regional Office for Bangalore Asia, Pacific and Oceania India Serdang Malaysia Keywords: biodiversity, production, marketing, value addition Abstract India accounts for approximately 38% of the world mango production and is a natural home for over 1,000 cultivars in this species. Among over 20 commercial cultivars, ‘Totapuri’ has the largest share, accounting for half of the mango area in South India. Due to a specific demand for each of these cultivars in both fresh and processed form, they support the livelihood of a diverse range of actors along the market chain. This paper presents findings of a study assessing the role of markets in maintaining varietal diversity of mango in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh where a survey was conducted among mango growers and other market chain actors. Chittoor district, part of an important mango belt, is home to over 50 mango pulp semi-processors. An analysis is presented of production and marketing practices, price spread and margins of actors in the value chain for fresh versus semi-processed mango cultivars of ‘Neelam’ and ‘Totapuri’, respectively. INTRODUCTION Marketing costs and margins for perishable agricultural crops are directly proportional to the number of market intermediaries and the number of transfers undertaken. In market chains that effectively distribute information about the costs and risks at each actor level this should be reflected in the margin that is achieved by this actor. Price risk is by far the most devastating among all the risks a farmer faces. Diversification of production, at crop, species and variety level, and market outlet could be an effective strategy to reduce that risk. However, risk management alone is unable to explain the varietal diversity maintained on farm. It seems that consumer preferences and thus market demand also are an explanation for diversification. The question remains whether market demand is able to create a sustainable incentive for on farm management of biodiversity while at the same time offering a significant source of livelihood support. Attention is therefore required for these market-based approaches for the enhancement of the utilization and management of agrobiodiversity and income generation. This study, based on a case study of marketing practices, costs and benefits of two important mango cultivars, ‘Neelam’ and ‘Totapuri’, in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, attempts to address this issue. India, the world’s largest mango producer, accounts for approximately 38% of the world mango production and is a natural home for over 1,000 varieties in this species. Among over 20 commercial cultivars in the species, ‘Totapuri’ has the largest share, accounting for about half of mango area in South India. According to traders in Chittoor over 80% of ‘Totapuri’ produced is processed into mango pulp which is used for the manufacturing of juices, jams and other mango products and is sold both in the domestic and export market. ‘Neelam’ is consumed as a fresh (table) fruit and has as a special characteristic that it is a late bearer. This characteristic causes its popularity among all actors in the chain and consumers, for the reason that it lengthens the mango production season. Commercial mango orchards in India are usually mixed, containing a diversity of five or more cultivars. The pattern of cultivar mixture and their relative proportion in an 379 Proc. IW on TSF Eds.: N. Chomchalow et al. Acta Hort. 787, ISHS 2008