Bellampalli market yet to start functioning

ADILABAD:  The lack of marketing facilities for the mango growers in the erstwhile Adilabad district has caused local farmers problems as they are not able to transport their produce to Maharashtra owing to Covid-19.The government constructed a market in Bellampalli for `1 crore, but it is yet to start operations. Stakeholders say that if the market starts functioning, it would benefit the local farmers by removing the interstate transportation charges and the middlemen in the Maharashtra markets. 

In the district, mangoes are cultivated in around 15,000 acres, while generating a revenue of Rs 200 crore. 
The farmers, transporting their mango yield to Nagpur and other markets in Maharashtra, are losing on their returns by paying cuts to middlemen and incurring transportation charges. Even at a time when the Covid-19 crisis in Maharashtra is dire, these farmers run the risk of infecting themselves. 

Mango is cultivated in Nenella, Tandur, Bheemavaram, Jaipur, Nirmal, Dilawarpur, Mamada and Khanapur. Erstwhile Adilabad is one of the largest producers of mango and produces about 55 varieties of this summer fruit.