Farmers cultivating mangoes face thunderstorms and gales ahead of the crop season every year. This time too, it appears that they have to face the wrath of nature. In addition to this, marketing issues and middle-men play a key role and determine the margin of profit for the farmers. In Chittoor district alone, mango orchards are spread across 75,000 hectares and the yield is expected from 60,000 hectares as the crop in the remaining land is yet to come to the flowering stage. The district horticulture officials are expecting a yield of 5.50 lakh tonnes this year. However, the recent hailstorm and gales damaged mango orchards in several parts of the district causing huge losses to farmers.
“The crop loss could be around 50,000 tonnes due to the gales,” one official opined adding that this was just an estimate and the actual loss could be much more. For the farmers, the gales couldn’t have struck at a worse time. Once the farmer gets his yield, the income he earns completely depends on middle-men and pulping centres. The pulping centres, which were described as a boon to the district mango growers till 2008, have, however, gradually become a bane. “The managements of pulping centres used to offer good prices due to competition among themselves. But they formed into a cartel now and are only offering meager prices and looting the farmers, who have no option except selling the crop to them,” said a farmer Munaiah from Pakala. Echoing the farmer’s views, Damalacheruvu Mango Market Association president NR Ehsanulla said pulping units were not offering proper prices to farmers.
“Taking advantage of the lack of proper marketing facilities, they are playing havoc with the farmers. Due to increase in pesticide and fertiliser prices, the farmers are investing about Rs 30,000 for growing up to 50 mango trees and are suffering losses even after getting a yield of up to 5 tonnes for an acre as they do not have marketing facilities except the pulping units,” he told Express. As the season is set to begin in 10 to 15 days, the mango growers are not sure of the prices this year. However, they are expecting at least Rs 10,000 per tonne of Banganapalle, Totapuri, Neelam and Pullura varieties, mainly grown in the district. Speaking to Express, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Chittoor, MKV Srinivasulu said that though they expected 5.5 lakh tonnes this year, it may decline to 5 lakh tonnes due to the recent hailstorm and gales. In 2012, the total production stood at six lakh tonnes, while exports stood at 190 tonnes.