Mango harvest to be bountiful this season, may bring down prices

COIMBATORE: Mangoes may get cheaper this season due to bountiful harvest from the orchards of Salem.

As compared to last year, when the cost of mangoes ruled high due to poor productivity, the yellow fruit may get cheaper due to good yield this season.

“The mango season has begun well in advance this year. However, mango arrivals are yet to pick up and therefore, its prices are slightly higher now. But, by mid-April, mangoes will start to flood the market, when a considerable price drop could be expected. Prices will be lesser by 10 per cent this season as compared to last year,” said A Jayapal, president of Salem Mango Traders Association.

Last year, the mango season picked up only by the end of April, but this year the arrivals have begun as early in March itself. Varieties like ‘senthoora, ‘imam pasand,’ ‘alphonsa,’ ‘Salem Bangalora’ and others grown in abundance in the orchards of Salem are brought for sale in the wholesale market. More varieties may start to flood the market in the coming days.

It has been a norm for a poor year of mango harvest to alternate with a good year. Mango yield was low last year as flowers had shed down and failed to turn into fruits due to rains during the blooming season. But, warmer days during the flowering season have given a bountiful yield this year.

Giving another reason to rejoice, the farmers are also hopeful of an extended season this time due to consistent flowering patterns. “Currently, upto 20 tonnes of mangoes are reaching the market in Salem and they are sent to different parts of Tamil Nadu on a daily basis. The arrivals may peak by up to 100 tonnes per day in the coming days,” said J Sreenivasan, a wholesale mango trader from Salem.

Despite orders pouring in for exports, traders couldn’t cater to the export market due to high demand in the domestic segment. Apart from more than 50 varieties of mangoes from Tamil Nadu, some north Indian varieties like ‘kesar’ are also cultivated widely in Salem, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.

While the mangoes harvested in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts were mainly meant for pulp production, the fruits from Salem have a unique taste and are favoured by people across Tamil Nadu.

Traders said the retail price of ‘imam pasand,’ ‘malgova’ and ‘Salem Bangalora’ are sold on an average of Rs 200 per kg, while ‘alphonsa’ is sold at Rs 100 to Rs 130 and ‘Senthoora’ costs around Rs 50 to Rs 60.

K’giri units keep machinery oiled, but fear low output of pulp variety mangoes

As the much awaited mango season kicks off from mid-April, the pulp manufacturers in Krishnagiri are busy oiling the machinery to commence pulp production for this year.

“Machineries are oiled and kept ready to commence pulp production on the auspicious day of Chithirai Thirunaal on April 14. Around 17 units in the district will kick off operations and pulp production will go on till July,” said KM Rama Gounder, president of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam.

It gives nothing to rejoice as until a few years ago, Krishnagiri had around 74 pulp making units. A slew of issues, including severe loss and poor demand for pulp led to closure of a large number of units.

This year too, the pulp manufacturers are worried as the yield of mangoes preferred for pulp production has dwindled drastically. “Production of mangoes used in pulp has dropped to mere five to 10 per cent,” he said.

Last year, the ‘totapuri’ variety of mango, used widely in pulp making, was bought by manufacturing units for upto Rs 18,000 per tonne from farmers across Tamil Nadu. In the fag end of the previous season, mangoes brought from other states had cost even higher.

This year, the yield of ‘totapuri’ varieties has reduced considerably due to infestation by some mutated pests. Yet its price cultivated in 70 per cent of the district is likely to be sold at a lesser price due to poor demand for pulp.

“Some years ago, the pulp making units used to run for three shifts, but now it has become difficult to operate even a single shift due to various reasons like short supply of pulp making varieties of mangoes like ‘neelam’ and ‘totapuri’, besides severe loss in the sector. Pulp making units also source mangoes from neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,” said S Ravichandran, a pulp manufacturer.

Farmers rued that their long time demand to bring pulp-making units under a single umbrella to produce pulp on a common brand to be marketed in the export market remains unfulfilled.