With only one month left for the mango season to come to a close this year, a vast majority of the farmers in Chittoor district feel bogged down by the vagaries of nature, which stole away their happiness in the form of excess rainfall, soil drainage, heavy gales, Asani cyclone effect and scorching heat, between October 2021 and May 2022.
Officials and mango growers unanimously maintain that for the first time, a plethora of climatic disturbances had affected their plantations.
Chittoor district, with over two lakh hectares of mango orchards, continues to lead in producing the pulp variety of “Thothapuri” and half a dozen table varieties, predominantly Neelam, Alfonso, and Chandura. The horticulture officials say that had everything gone well, the total yield would have been more than eight lakh tonnes.
“This year, the yield has dipped to just three lakh tonnes. This makes the farmers unhappy. They expected a good price for their produce, while the current tag stands at ₹17 a kg, supplied to the pulp industries. To some extent, it is a breather, as the price was ₹12 last year, and even below ₹10 in the previous years,” said U. Koteswara Rao, District Horticulture Officer.
Between 2019 and 2021, the demand was said to be less from the processing units, with considerably excess supply, resulting in the government intervention to bail out the farmers with minimum support price.
However, this year, the district administration’s role in the mango trade remained limited or even nil. The farmers themselves formed into groups and settle the deals and transactions with the pulp units, for the reason that there was “visible demand” for their produce. As per the mango calendar this year, the entire scenario of harvesting, transportation, and processing would be over by July second week.
Low yields of the table varieties, coupled with exorbitant transportation costs, have forced the mango growers to prioritise the domestic supply, making exports secondary. Export to other countries, particularly West Asia and the South East Asian countries, had witnessed a slump this year.
The agents of perishable goods, based in Chennai and Bengaluru, are said to have shown little interest to handle the trade this year, fearing losses due to transportation costs and the still lingering COVID fears, resulting in a delay in clearing the cargo at harbours and airports.
Now, there is a feeling in vegetable markets and street corners selling the mangoes that the taste of almost all table varieties has come down. “As against ₹70 to ₹100 a kg before the COVID pandemic years, now, the cost has touched ₹40 a kg. The shelf life of the fruit is badly hit due to scorching heat between May 15 and June first week, and still counting,” said Ganesh Reddy, a seasonal supplier and vendor of horticulture produce to the Koyambedu market in Chennai.
