‘Mango Day’ is observed every year at the end of the crop season and it was observed by All India Kisan Sangh here on Tuesday. On the occasion, farmers rued the lack of remunerative price for the fruit
Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham president T. Janardhan traced the woes of the farmers to the absence of marketing support, huge market commission , absence of a price stabilisation mechanism and lack of steps to educate farmers on the mechanisation and water conservation measures offered by the government.
“The allocation for horticulture saw a cut this year and even the partial sanction was used to meet the previous year’s dues,” added the association’s general secretary K.V.V. Prasad.
‘Huge demand’
Hailing mango as the ‘King of fruit,’ Deputy Director (Horticulture) B. Srinivasulu advised the farmers to focus on improving the quality of produce so as to tap the export market.
“The Vapour Heat Treatment (VHT) in Tirupati has export orders for 200 tonnes, but our farmers could only produce 58.3 tonnes. Small corrective steps at the individual level will go a long way in collectively addressing the issue in Chittoor district, considered the State’s mango hub,” he said.
Farmers appealed to the scientific fraternity to develop and offer them newer varieties to increase their profitability.
