Despite lockdown, mango farmers in Chittoor district have earned a decent income. Though the yield stood at 35%, most varieties could hold their demand, bringing guaranteed profits to the growers.
There were no gales from March till date, with hardly 10 days left for the season to close. The rains of 2019 helped sustain the soil moisture, and inordinate delay in flowering did not have any impact on the yield.
While the total acreage of mango plantations is 1.10 lakh hectares, the crop was grown in about 80,000 hectares. Officials of the horticulture and marketing departments said the yield was pegged at 35% this year, while it was just 20% in 2019.
Assistant Director (Marketing) P. Gopi said that daily about 700 metric tonnes of mangoes, including the prime varieties of Benisha and Rumania, are arriving at the markets of Chittoor, Bangarupalem, Tiruchanur, and Puttur. “Compared to last year, the price for all the varieties is high. A kg of Benisha is fetching ₹40-45, while Rumania is getting ₹20 a kg. Coming to the predominant variety Benguloora, it is being sold for ₹13-20 per kg. Coming to other premier varieties, the yields are very low and are managed by the farmers privately,” he said.
What brings happiness to farmers is that the mangoes meant for the pulp industries are sold at ₹13-20 a kg this year, while the price stood at ₹7 and below last year. In 2018, the farmers saw unrest, blocking roads demanding support price. The then TDP government had to intervene to provide a minimum price to them, when the price plummeted to ₹4 a kg.
Dhananjayulu, a mango grower of Tavanampalle mandal, said that compared to the last four years, the current year was 'not bad'. “The season just went off exactly as we expected. When it was delayed flowering, we are very much aware that we don’t need to worry till May. There were no gales and rains and this helped us escape from the effect of damage to the crop. Last year, I suffered a loss of ₹2 lakh. This year, I could pocket ₹6 lakh, after all expenditure,” he said.
Exports
The officials said that despite the lockdown effect, the exports remained strong in May and June. It was observed that though Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are reeling under the COVID-19 impact, the exports to these two states remained stable. However, small stocks could find their way to the northern States of Delhi, West Bengal and Haryana. Unfortunately, the table varieties, which fetch good profits to the small farmers, missed exports to Europe and Gulf this year due to COVID-19 scenario.