In the face of a glut, mango farmers of composite Chittoor district continue to be at the receiving end.
After several fluctuations, the price of Totapuri (Bengalura) mango remained as low as ₹10 per kg this week, making the farmers apprehensive of losing the yield in the wake of scattered monsoon showers.
Totapuri is the largest selling variety in the region, which is usually sold to pulp units that are aplenty in Chittoor, Tirupati and Annamayya districts. In 2022, the price started with ₹20 per kg and even touched ₹50 by the end of the season. However, the average price of Totapuri for the last four years remained between ₹10 and ₹12 per kg.
According to the estimates prepared by the Department of Horticulture for the season, the starting price started by June 1 was pegged at ₹14 per kg which was predicted to go up in the next two or three weeks. However, the price continued to stagger between ₹10 and ₹15 per kg and never breached the line, making the farmers’ expectations go haywire.
Trucks have made a beeline for the scores of pulp factories that are replete with stock. The units regularly sound an alarm, appealing to the farmers not to harvest their crops till their next announcement, thus pouring cold water on their hopes.
Overambitious move
With huge expectations, the pulping units started procuring fruit from far-off places such as Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and even the bordering areas of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, causing a lull in the local market. The apparently overambitious move has a telling effect in the form of sluggish movement of fruits from the local orchards.
“We have appealed to the farmers to stagger harvesting to make the best of the given situation. The department is creating awareness on harvesting only the matured fruit,” says Tirupati District Horticulture Officer B. Dasaratharami Reddy.
The TSS (sweetness of pulp) of Totapuri is low at present and is expected to increase by the end of this month. “We also advise the farmers to use fruit cover to ensure blemish-free appearance,” Mr. Reddy adds.
The yield as well as quality suffered a setback this year with respect to table varieties like Benishan, Mallika and Pullura due to unseasonal rains and unforeseen climatic conditions. Against the average price of ₹35 per kg, Benishan fetched a mere ₹20 on an average this year.
