This season, mangoes may leave bitter taste in the mouth

This summer, be prepared to be disappointed with the taste and quality of mangoes. Connoisseurs may have a difficult time finding the perfectly ripened sweet fruit in Telangana markets this year. Low day temperatures, spells of rain, hail and cloudy weather have affected the crop in large parts of the state.

“This year’s yield was expected to be low due to the long spell of monsoon and late flowering, but this hailstorm has further affected the crop across hundreds of acres in Telangana,” said Arifa, a mango orchard owner from Chevella.

Only last week, a short but furious spell of hailstorm damaged the standing mango crop. “The pelting hail damages the raw and ripening mango by leaving black marks, affecting both quality and taste. It also affects the ripening of the fruit. All the mango crop in the three mandals of Ranga Reddy has been affected,” said an official of the Horticulture department of the district.

According to orchard owners, mango crop has been affected in a vast swathe of Telangana from Khammam to Mahbubnagar due to Friday’s storm. “A preliminary estimate shows that the damage is above 50%, but we have to do a final assessment to understand the extent of damage,” said the horticulture official.

Lower yield expected

“We have orchards in Chevella and Yadagirigutta and some we have taken on lease. There is damage in both places. We are expecting a lower yield between 50 and 30%. The sweetness is affected when the day temperatures remain below 30 degrees Celsius,” said Venkatesh Goud, a fruit trader at Gaddiannaram Fruit Market. “Hyderabad gets mangoes from many places, including north India and coastal Andhra Pradesh. The overall impact might be higher prices for good mangoes,” said Mr. Goud.

The one bright spot in this gloomy news is that the orchards in Jagtial, one of the largest production centres for mangoes, has not been affected due to the storm. “There is minimal damage in comparison to the scale of havoc in other areas. We have 12,756 hectares under the crop and are expecting a normal yield. We are working towards creating an online marketplace so that buyers can place an order anywhere, and it will be delivered. A number of traders have signed up for this,” said the district horticulture officer.