Alphonso produce hit by untimely rains

A woman checks out mangoes at the festival on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Karma Sonam Bhutia) 

Untimely rains in November and December 2017 hit alphonso mango harvest badly this year, Konkan-based farmers attending a mango exhibition in Mumbai said on Wednesday. “More than 75 per cent of the fruit, which had started blooming or had almost bloomed, were lost in the rains. That is why, we are able to sell only 25 per cent of our usual produce this year. Due to reduced soil quality, we are unable to increase mango production at our farms,” Sridhar, Apte, a farmer from Devgad said. Apte worries that returns on mangoes may be less than expected this year. With a dip in production of alphonsos in the Konkan belt, farmers like Apte believe better marketing of their produce through exhibitions could help them improve sales.

Selling four varieties of Devgad mangoes at the Global Konkan Mango Festival 2018 in Worli on Wednesday, he said, “I would not want to offer any discount on the produce sold, as we expect reduced sales this time. As compared to a return of Rs 3 lakh on investing Rs 1 lakh, I expect to hardly make Rs 1.5 lakh this year,” he said. Mumbai receives a major chunk of its alphonso mangoes from Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad in Maharashtra. Other varieties equally in demand are pirie, badami, kesar, lalbag, and totapuri varieties. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka sell majority of the remaining varieties.

However, farmers worry that consumers have started doubting the quality of alphonso mangoes due to “misleading information” spread by some sellers. “Many mango sellers mark their mangoes as alphonso to encourage sales. They use harmful chemicals including carbide powder which makes the mango look similar to alphonso but does not taste as good. These mangoes also get spoiled sooner,” Shailesh Agre, a Kelashi-based farmer aiming to market his Kelashi mangoes at the exhibition said.

“As sellers based in the south and north try to sell their mangoes at cheaper rates like Rs 200-300 per dozen,we are facing a stiff competition. From Rs 1,000 for a dozen mangoes, we have to sell the produce at Rs 600 due to this. If we continue to receive meagre returns, we may incur huge losses,” Apte said. Two weeks back, the alphonso mangoes from Devgad and Sindhudurg were given Geographical Indication (GI) tags. Once the GI tag is in place, Konkan-based farmers claim action could be taken against those who falsely brand their mangoes as alphonsos.

Sanjay Yadavrao, the founder of Konkan Bhumi Pratishthan, which organised the exhibition at the Nehru Science Centre said, “Owing to climate change, the yield was only 25 per cent this year. But consumers are not aware of this. The irony is that the market rides on mangoes sold by sellers from Karnataka, Gujarat and other states.”

Alphonso mangoes are largely exported to the US, the Middle East, Japan and the European Union (EU). “We are also trying to impart knowledge of online marketing and retailing of mangoes to the farmers. We are trying to ensure farmers directly sell their produce to exporters or consumers without a middleman. However, due to decreased production, we expect sale of mangoes to other counties will be hit by 20 per cent,” Prashant Waghmare, Assistant General Manager, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority which is helping Konkan-based farmers to improve marketing and export of alphonsos, said.

Almost 15 key farmer co-operative associations from Devgadh, Ratnagiri, Kelshi and Sindhudurg representing 100 mango farm owners are expected to sell their mangoes at the exhibition that started on Wednesday and is expected to go on till May 8.