The Hindu Business Line : Mango crop likely to be lower in South

Flat yield
Processing industry expects crop size to be average
Sendura, Raspuri varieties may have better yields
Totapuri, mainly used by the processing industry for its rich pulp, may be average

Mangoes...not much yield?

Bangalore , March 26

The mango crop size in the southern States for the current year is likely to be lower than that of the previous year. No confirmed estimates were available, though initial indications suggest the crop size to be lower during the current year, which is an `off-year' for the biennial crop, mainly due to impact of unseasonal rains and delayed flowering.

"There will be some reduction in the output this year, but it is too early to estimate. A clearer picture will emerge over the next few weeks," said Mr S. Jagadeeshwar Reddy, Joint Director Horticulture, Andhra Pradesh. Among the southern States, Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of mangoes, followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Mr Reddy said the delayed flowering this season coupled with the hailstorms in several pockets could result in the reduced crop size.

Mr G.K. Vasant Kumar, Director, Horticulture, Karnataka, said the mango crop in the State was likely to be between four to five lakh tonnes, moderately less than that of the last year.

"Though the flowering in several pockets has been affected due to the sporadic rains, yields from the new mango areas would compensate for the reduced output due to the off-year phenomenon," he said. Mangoes are grown in about 1.2 lakh hectares in Karnataka and about 5,000-10,000 hectares of new area would be coming under production this year. While the average output hovers around five lakh tonnes in the State, a bumper crop would see output peaking to anywhere between 7-10 lakh tonnes.

The mango processing industry expects the crop size to be of average this year and believes that it would not have any impact on the industry.

"Overall the crop is good, but not as good as that of last year," said Mr P.T. Raju of Tropical Fruits International Ltd, adding some pockets in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have been affected due to unseasonal rains over past few weeks. Mr Raju, also the Vice-Chairman of the Food Processors' Association, said the crop seemed to be better for the early varieties such as Sendura and Raspuri, whereas for Totapuri, mainly used by the processing industry, it seemed average. "Though the current year is off-year, the yield from the older trees seemed to be better mainly because of good rains last year," Mr Raju said, adding that the average prices for varieties like Totapuri could remain at last year's levels of 4,000-5,000 per tonne.

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