Severe drought conditions in the state are threatening the yield of mangoes this season. This had led to an increase in prices in markets and stores across the state.
The recent harvest of the King of Fruits has been drastically affected and farmers are expecting that the produce could be as low as 30% of the average annual yield.
Blaming the weather conditions as the reason, Ramachandra, deputy director of the Horticulture Department in Dharwad, explained that extreme temperatures, absence of moisture in the soil and heavy winds have affected the growth of the fruit. The lack of rains has also added on to the misery of mango farmers.
Kolar District which usually contributes around eight lakh tonnes of mangoes is expecting a major drop in production this year. “We are only expecting 2.5 lakh tonnes to 3 lakh tonnes, but this is just an optimistic prediction,” said Chinnappa Reddy, the president of Kolar District Mango Cultivators’ Association. Noting that the months of January and February were dismal for the farmers due to the absence of good conditions for flowering, the harvest has fallen drastically. Heavy rains along with hailstorms which lashed parts of the state has also damaged mangoes that were close to ripening. He also added that farmers are facing major financial losses and have accumulated numerous loans.
Chinnappa Reddy also pointed out how successive governments have done nothing for the mango farmers in state. “Karnataka is a major producer of fruits and mangoes in particular, but apart from a lot of schemes introduced, nothing has been done on ground,” he said. Echoing the demands of the farmers in Karnataka, he said that there are no storage solutions or pulp production centres, and that neighbouring states have small-scale industries established for the well-being of farmers.
The farmers who are staring at losses are also concerned by the price fluctuation in the market due to the gap between supply and demand. In 2018, the late onset of the season and a sudden surplus led to a price crash. Farmers fear that the situation will repeat itself.