Asani, unseasonal rains hit mango growers in Nellore hard

NELLORE: There seems to be no end to the vagaries of mango farmers in Nellore district. While the inclement weather conditions during the flowering season resulted in a low seasonal yield, Asani, the cyclone that hit the coast around a month ago, damaged the fruit further. As a result, the produce was sold for drastically low prices. Against their expectations of `1 lakh for a tonne of the produce, farmers and traders were able to sell it for Rs 50,000- Rs 60,000 a tonne at the beginning of May. By May end, the prices halved further. 

Change in the climatic conditions due to heavy rainfall in November and December last year affected the flowering stage of mango, which resulted in the delay of harvesting stage. “Traders are not buying mangoes that fell from trees due to winds. We are forced to sell mangoes at low prices. The produce is less and the quality of mangoes is poor, which impacted the price,” said K Suresh, a farmer from Kavali.