DHARMAPURI: Mango harvest in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, the hub for the ‘king of fruits’ in the state, has declined by nearly 50% this year, with farmers citing a variety of reasons such as increased pest attacks, water shortage, anthracnose infections, and erratic weather.
In several areas in the two districts, the productivity, which usually stands at 9 to 10 tonnes per hectare, has dropped by more than 50% to nearly 5 tonnes.
In Tamil Nadu, mangoes are cultivated in a total area of 1.25 lakh hectares with a production of 5.38 lakh tonnes (average productivity across TN is 6.5 tonnes/hectare).
Of the major districts cultivating mangoes, Krishnagiri occupies the prime position with an area of 33,679 hectares and production of around 3 lakh tonnes per hectare, followed by Dharmapuri with an area of 18,388 hectares and an annual production of 1.69 lakh tonnes per hectare.
Of this, 80% of the production is Totapuri or Bengalura, which is often procured by pulp factories in Krishnagiri, while the table top varieties like Neelum, Alphonsa, Imman Pasant and others account for the remaining 20% (as per TNAU data), and are sold in local markets.
According to ES Samraj, a farmer from Elumichanahalli in Dharmapuri, the past few years have been utterly dreadful for mango cultivators. “Last year, we faced a crisis when procurement prices dropped to `4,500 per tonne.
With less than two weeks left for the harvest season to start, our produce is dying due to pest attacks. Usually, my farms yield about 9 to 10 tonnes per hectare, but this year we can barely get 3 tonnes per hectare.”
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“We are at a loss, especially since the pests are unmanageable,” Samraj added. B Sankaran, another farmer, said the pests have become more resistant to pesticides.
“Five years ago, I only had to spray pesticides on my field once or twice a year. But now, I have to spray these chemicals five to six times annually, adding to the expenses. Where I once spent `5,000 to `8,000, now I have to spend `18,000 to `25,000. Yet, the mango prices remain poor.”
In addition to pest attacks, farmers also cite the heatwave and water shortage as other hurdles. According to S Muthusekar from Vellichandai, the persisting heatwave has led to increased water requirements at the farms. In Krishnagiri, apart from pests, farmers noted that there has been an increase in anthracnose infections — a fungal infection which causes the fruits to stick to one another and rot faster. KM Soundarajan, president of Krishnagiri Mango Farmers Federation, said, “We may lose about 50% of the yield. Last year, owing to the pests and diseases, we had harvested only 2.45 lakh tonnes.”
He added, “In Andhra Pradesh, the government provided `5 per kg as assistance to farmers, but the Tamil Nadu government has ignored our pleas.”
NS Sivaguru, another farmer from Krishnagiri, said that the erratic weather is the primary cause of productivity loss. “Wilting of flowers due to heatwave, coupled with the lack of rains, has led the trees to decline. Mango research centre must be set up to tackle such issues,” he said.
When TNIE reached out to the Deputy Director of Horticulture, G Fathima, she said that the TN government had previously organised a special training on advanced pest control methodology and steps on improving marketing avenues for mango cultivators in Theni, Dindigul and some other districts. However, it was not conducted in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri because of elections and the Model Code of Conduct.
“In Dharmapuri, this training will be held on May 8 in Karimangalam. It would greatly aid farmers to better the market value of mangoes,” she said.
When asked about the decline in productivity, horticulture department officials in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri said, “We can speak of a decline in productivity or crop failure only after the season starts (by late May). It is true that there has been pest attacks, but impacts would require us to consider many other factors, which are only possible after the trade begins in the markets.”