KOLAR: With a steep fall in prices of Benishan or Banganapalli and Totapuri varieties of mangoes, growers are dumping the ‘King of Fruits’ by the roadside in Srinivaspura of Kolar district. Adding to farmers’ woes, the Totapuri variety has been attacked by a fungal disease — anthracnose.
Growers are demanding compensation from the government. However, the government is yet to respond to their appeal.Speaking to TNIE, Kolar District Mango Growers Association president Neelaturu Chinnappa Reddy said as compared to previous years, mango growers are suffering losses this year and are unable to bear the burden as prices have crashed.
He said there are no takers for Benishan and Totapuri varieties. In 2019, each tonne of Benishan was sold at Rs 1 lakh, while last year it was Rs 50,000 to Rs 80,000. However, the prices have come down to as low as Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 this year. Farmers are finding it difficult to even cover the annual maintenance cost, he added.
Since there is no factory for mango pulp in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, farmers have to depend on such units in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. With Totapuri being grown in both the neighbouring states, farmers belonging to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are not heading to Srinivaspura for mangoes.
Moreover, the Andhra government has passed an order that merchants should purchase the Totapuri variety from local growers at Rs 10,000 per tonne. Reddy said the variety is being grown in 60,000 hectares in Srinivaspura.