The Hindu Business Line : Mango crop hopes turn sour on adverse weather

State-wise scenario
Banganapally variety from AP could be the worst hit
In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka crop has been affected due to excessive rains, but in Kerala, it is reported to be good.

M.R. Subramani

Advertisement

Chennai, Feb. 26 Adverse weather conditions, including heavy rains, have affected mango crop in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, while the prospects in Maharashtra, the largest producer of the ‘King of fruits’ in the country, are bright.

On the other hand, the cold spell in North India could affect the crop, which is due late July, in that region, besides Pakistan.

“The crop situation is not encouraging in South India, mainly due to excessive rains,” said Mr Chengal Reddy, Chairman, Federation of Farmers Associations.

Mango is grown in a total of 12.30 lakh hectares and the annual production is around 11 million tonnes. Maharashtra tops in mango production, making up nearly 60 per cent of the total output. Andhra Pradesh is the second significant contributor with the State’s share being 38 per cent, while Karnataka contributed six per cent.

“This year, the crop will be less than 50 per cent in almost all parts of Andhra Pradesh,” said Mr Shekhar Raju, a grower in Chittoor district of that State.

Unusual rains

“We witnessed heavy rains during the flowering season. As a result, pollination did not take place and the total crop was affected. Andhra Pradesh witnessed unusual rains last month,” he said.

Usually, rains for mango are required in April-end or early May just towards peak of summer. “Such a rain will help the second phase of the crop,” Mr Raju said.

Banganapally variety mango, for which Andhra Pradesh is famous, could be the worst hit, and as a result, production of mango pulp may be affected, Mr Raju said.

Giving an example of the damage, he said, “Usually, we get 4-5 tonnes of mango from an acre. This time, it would be at the most two tonnes.”

While the crop in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka too, were reported to be affected, in Kerala it was reported to be good.

As regards the situation in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Raju said since mango was a late crop in that State, it would be clear only after flowering that would take place sometime in late March.

Better arrivals

Meanwhile, the new mango crop has begun to hit the market in Maharashtra, especially in Pune. The daily arrivals are reported to be 10-15 tonnes.

According to Mr Santosh Patil, Deputy General Manager of the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board, flowering had occurred in places such as Ratnagiri in two phases. “There have been a bit of climatic changes in the last two months leading to changes in flowering. The temperatures were particularly low 15 days ago,” he said.

As a result, the crop could be a little lower in the first phase but could be better in the second phase. “Overall, the crop is likely to be better than last year,” Mr Patil said.

Over 90 per cent of the crop produced in the country is consumed domestically, while the rest is used by the food industry for producing various products such as pulp, jam and so on.

Exports growing

A very insignificant portion of the production is exported.

However, production has picked up steam during the last couple of years. West Asia is the major importer of Indian mangoes. On the other hand, the US, China and Japan are the latest among the group of nations that have begun to import Indian mangoes.

The US and China allowed mango imports from India after stringent phyto-sanitary measures were followed, while for Japan, the mangoes will have to undergo vapour heat treatment before the shipment. For the US, mangoes will have to be irradiated.

Mango exports during 2006-07 were estimated at 79,060 tonnes valued at Rs 141 crore up from 69,600 tonnes valued at Rs 128 crore during 2005-06 and 53,480 tonnes valued at Rs 89 crore during 2004-05.

Meanwhile, the mango crop in Pakistan has also been reportedly affected due to the cold weather.