Dear mango: Low yield in TS to drive mango prices up this year

Hyderabad: Mango season is here! It is that time of the year when markets and roadsides turn yellow with bundles and baskets of mangoes waiting to be bought and relished.

Mangoes are cultivated mainly in Mahabubnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Ranga Reddy, and Adilabad districts of Telangana. The main varieties of mangoes cultivated are Banganapalli, Daseri, Chinna Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, and rarely Alphonso.

Unfortunately, this year the yield of mangoes has drastically dropped. Mango farmers in Telangana say there is almost a drop of 20-30% in the overall mango yield in the state compared to the previous year.

Shiva Prasad, a mango farmer in Mahabubnagar, says he got around 40% less yield this year compared to last year. He grows the popular Banganapalli variety, the price of which has doubled this year due to the fall in yield. Banganapalli mangoes that were available for Rs. 40 to 50 per kg are now available in the markets for Rs. 100 per kg.

Shiva Prasad says heatwave and heavy rains in January-February were responsible for the low yield. "High temperatures badly affect mangoes, too. Also, in January-February, it is the flowering season of mangoes. A couple of heavy rains is enough to spoil the flowers," explains Shiva Prasad.

Keerthi Vardhan Reddy, another mango cultivator in the state, says never has the yield dropped this badly. However, he cites winter as the main reason for low flowering. "In the winters, during the morning, there is heavy fog. Many people believe that it is water and is not harmful to the trees. Mango is a very delicate crop. The dew in the fog actually burns the mango flowers," he says, adding that high temperatures and random rainfall are also a reason for low flowering.

Keerthi Reddy grows several varieties of mangoes like Banganpalle, Benishaan, Dasheri, Padda Rasalu, and Chinna Rasulu on his farm near Yadagirigutta. "Compared to last year, our yield has reduced by more than 50% this year," he adds.

Prof. S.J Rahman, head of the entomology department at the Telangana State Agriculture University, says that almost 60% of production is damaged by insects. "There are five main insects that affect mangoes – mango leaf weeber, mango hopper, mango stem borer, mango fruit fly, and mango nut weevil. Mango fruit fly affects mangoes the most because it directly affects the fruit whereas others affect the leaf, stem, or nut which in turn affects the nutrition of the mango trees," says Prof. Rahman. He adds that the infestation of mango trees will be more during unseasonal rains.

Strong winds are also responsible for the drop in yield as the mango flowers drop when a strong wind hits them, he explains.

For people who are searching for cheap and good mangoes in the markets to beat the summer blues, it has been an exhausting walk. Besides low yield that pushed the prices up, hike in petrol and diesel prices have also resulted in higher transportation costs of mangoes and as a result, the prices have further gone up.