Sweet mango turns sour for Andhra farmers: Unseasonal rains hit fruit production, quality

Amaravati: Unseasonal rains and gales have hit mango production in Andhra Pradesh.

There has been a delay in the flowering and as a result, the fruits have not bloomed on time. Plus the climatic change has affected the quality of the fruit this season

While a fully matured mango is likely to be available in the market in another 1-2 weeks, many farmers are currently selling fruits ripened with chemicals for low prices.

Banginapalli is the king

Most of the mango growers in the state raise Banginapalli, Chinna Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, Totapuri, Neelam, and Suvarnarekha varieties. Among all, Banginapalli, Rasalu, and Suvarnarekha are in demand from mango lovers. One of the premium varieties from Andhra Pradesh, most suitable for exports, is Banginpalli. There is demand for the Suvarnarekha variety also in the global market.

Rains spoil the fruit

Damage to the mango crop in parts of Manyam and many parts of Vizianagaram district, one of the largest producers of mango fruit in the state, has affected the yield. Farmers in these districts harvest the Banginapalli variety in over 35,000 hectares for its demand in Odisha, Mumbai, Delhi, and a few other parts of North India and abroad.

While the farmers have expected 8-10 tonnes of yield per hectare, the rains have reduced the growth to at least 20 percent.

Speaking to NewsMeter, Farmer Boyapati Venkateswara Rao, from Agiripalli Mandal, Eluru district, said, "Due to rains, the quality of mangoes is low, which can soon spoil the fruit. We are now seeing many mangoes with black spots, which is not a good sign. Depending on the quality, we are selling for Rs 20,000-25,000 per tonne and Rs 10,000 per tonne if it is low-quality mango. A dozen Banginpalli are sold for Rs 150-200."

If the production is excellent, the rate goes up to Rs 1 lakh per tonne in a few districts.

Mango fruit to be ready by April end

Speaking to NewsMeter, Visakhapatnam District Horticulture Officer Manmadha Rao said, "There have been 80 percent success of the fruit. However, the fruit quality has decreased due to untimely rains. We have informed the farmers to cover the mangoes with bags to avoid damage to the fruit. This has given positive results to the farmers in Krishna, West Godavari districts."

Horticulture officer said while good production of mango fruits has started in the districts of NTR, Prakasam, and Palnadu, districts such as Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Krishna are to get good yields by the April end.

"Some farmers are selling incompletely matured fruits and chemical-based fruits in the market for Rs 60-70 per kg. Also, the delay in production will impact the export business", the Horticulture officer said.

Use of Carbide/ Ethylene mango Ripener

P Balaji Kumar, Horticulture Officer NTR district, said: "There has been a delay in flowering due to rains in November 2022, and crop loss due to gales in March 2023. We witnessed a 15% fruit drop this season. While the NTR district has about 22,500 hectares of mango crop, we usually get 4 tonnes per acre, But this season, it can be only 50% production. Also, some crops are found with Black bugs which is a pest usually seen in Chilli crops."

The officer said while mangoes are currently available in the market, Many are now using carbide and Ethylene packets to ripen the fruit.

"By this time, the mango fruit should be sweet, but due to crop damage, sour fruits are available. By next week, there would be full mango production in the market", he said.

In the NTR district, the mango crop is vastly seen in Tiruvuru, Visannapeta, Gampalagudem, Mylavaram, and G Konduru mandals. These districts export mangoes to other states such as Delhi, Lucknow, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Odisha.

Mangoes from Anammaya Dist most preferred

Most of the mango exporters prefer to procure mangoes grown in the Annamayya district, citing the high quality of the fruit and demand for the variety in the global market. The mango growers and traders will get at least 30 to 40% more revenue if their mango produce is exported to foreign countries compared to the domestic market.

Mango farming in AP

Mango is grown in an area of over 3.75 lakh hectares in the state, with an estimated production of around 45 to 50 lakh tonnes. Nearly 60 % of the total mango area in AP is under cultivation of the Banginapalli variety. Nearly 10% of mango products from AP are exported to other countries. Usually, arrivals gain momentum from the second week of April.

Mangoes sold on EMI in Pune:

With the prices of Alphonso mangoes high, a trader in Pune in Maharashtra is offering the king of fruits on Equated Monthly Instalments or EMI. If refrigerators and air-conditioners can be purchased in installments, why not mangoes, reasons Gaurav Sanas of Gurukripa Traders and Fruit Products?

Alphonso or `Hapus' mangoes from Devgad and Ratnagiri in the state's Konkan region, considered to be the best, are currently being sold at Rs 800 to 1300 per dozen in the retail market.

Sanas claimed his family's outlet is the first to sell mangos on EMI in the whole country. "The prices are always very high at the start of the season. We thought if refrigerators, ACs, and other appliances can be bought on EMI, why not mangoes? Everyone then can afford mangoes as well," he said.

The procedure for buying the fruit at his outlet on EMI is similar to buying mobile phones in installments. The customer needs to use a credit card, and the purchase amount is converted into EMIs of three, six, or 12 months.

But the scheme is available for a minimum purchase of Rs 5,000, Sanas said, adding four consumers had availed of the scheme so far.

Inputs from PTI