By this time of the year, the king of fruits would have filled markets and homes with its fragrance. But late and intermittent rains have adversely impacted the mango yield this year, say farmers, who are estimating that the yield could be lower by over 50%.
“Both farmers and traders will be hit. Over and above this, as COVID-19 has coincided with the mango season, we will be hit hard,” said G.R. Srinivasan Nandi from Chikkaballapur. Farmers in and around Chikkaballapur and Kolar belt are also worried about the availability of labourers for plucking the fruit.
Puneeth G., a farmer from Goramadogu in Sidlaghatta, said that generally by the first week of May, he would start harvesting mangoes. “But this time, flowering is late. We will start picking mangoes only after 15 days,” he said and added, “I hope transportation and market facilities will not be hit by COVID-19 related restrictions.”
Another farmer, Raghu Lavanya from Magadi, said that the untimely rains in February and March ended up damaging fruit formation, and rain accompanied by wind resulted in fruit fall as well.
“Our crop is ready before that of farmers in the Chikkaballapur/Kolar belt. I have started harvesting. The yield has dropped. A residents’ group in Iblur in Bengaluru have been ordering directly from me. This helped me a lot during the COVID-19 related restrictions,” he said.
Mohan K.G., a volunteer at ‘Ibbalur Farmer’s Market’, said that they have been ordering mangoes directly from farmers in Kanakapura and Magadi as well as from GKVK. “The quality of the fruit is good and response from the people has also been good. Many apartments and individual houses are buying from the farmer’s market, as we are getting mangoes for a reasonable price directly from farmers. This is benefiting both of us,” he said.
Mango mela
HOPCOMS is preparing to hold its annual ‘Mango Mela’. “Keeping the interests of farmers in mind, we will go ahead with the event. But this time, the Mela will only be through HOPCOMS outlets and mobile vans,” said B.N. Prasad, Managing Director, HOPCOMS.
“We are finalising the dates. We will decide by Wednesday. The Mela will probably be held from May 17,” Mr. Prasad said, adding the event would usually start before May 10.
He also said that though yield is lower this year, prices will be similar to what they were last year. “There might be a change in prices once delivery of mangoes increases,” he said.
Presently, the price of mangoes varies from ₹100 to ₹120 per kilogram for Badami variety, ₹80 to ₹90 for Mallika, and ₹70 to ₹80 for Raspuri.