CHITTOOR/NELLORE: As traders are facing a problem to reach mango mandis in Chittoor district due to lockdown restrictions, farmers are exploring new ways to approach them. Thanks to technology, which made trading more flexible, mango growers are contacting traders over the phone and sending the stocks after getting orders from northern parts of the country. Mango orchards are spread over 1.6 lakh hectares in Chittoor. Usually, mangoes are exported to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka from Chittoor in the beginning of the season.
Further, traders from other parts of the country such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh arrive at mango mandis in the district to import the fruit for their respective local markets. Normally, the King of Fruits arrives in the market by mid-April. By the second week of May, mangoes flood the market. Totapuri variety mango is popular in Chittoor, which is extensively cultivated by growers. The reason being that there are 50-60 pulp units in the district, which procure huge quantities of the fruit from farmers. Local growers are now using WhatsApp to sell their produce.
With the help of video calling facility, they are getting orders from traders of northern parts of the country by showing the quality of fruit. Farmers are exporting mangoes through trucks after getting orders from traders and receiving cash through online payments. “Traders from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh visit mango mandis during the season ever year to purchase the fruit. Due to lockdown restrictions, they could not visit mandis this season. Local farmers are contacting the traders over phone and getting orders.
Thus mango farmers are able to sell their produce at a better price,” said K Sivaramaiah, a farmer from Bangarupalyam.
The same procedure is being followed by mango farmers of Nellore district to sell their produce. Mangoes cultivated in Nellore have good demand in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telanagana. Banginapalli mango variety is being cultivated in 80 per cent of the crop area in the district as it is popular in the region, besides having good demand in the market. According to the Horticulture Department, the mango produce in Nellore district is expected to be around 40,000 tonnes this season. Traders mainly export mangoes to
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Further, they also supply the fruit to pulp units in Chittoor. Mango farmers are getting more orders for the fruit from Bengaluru this season.