KADAPA: Mango growers of Annamayya district are a worried lot as the prospects of a good crop yield seem bleak this season due to extreme weather conditions. Mango crop is raised in 89,657 acres in the district, according to an official estimate.
The mango farmers have not been reaping a bumper crop yield since 2016 due to low rainfall, late flowering, pest attack and other factors. Usually, farmers get a mango crop yield of 8 to 10 tonnes per hectare. Due to changes in climatic conditions and untimely rains, the standing mango crop has been badly affected this season.
“We invest about `40,000 per acre on average to raise the mango crop. There has been no good crop yield for the past three years due to unfavourable conditions. The State government should provide subsidies to mango farmers to better safeguard their interests,” said Chengalrayudu, a mango grower of Pileru.
Generally, farmers cultivate Benishan, Imam Pasand, Lal Bagh, Bengaluru and Mallika varieties in 80% area of the total crop acreage in the district. Normally, local markets bustle with fruit arrivals and exports in April.
The arrival of the King of fruits has got delayed this time due to untimely rains and adverse climatic conditions, which are likely to hit the market price, resulting in losses to growers, said a farmer of Sundupalle.