If consumers felt that the mango season this year was over by the time it started, farmers say that this is true. Although it was determined by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Horticulture Department that 2022 would be an off year for mangoes, the ground reality was worse.
The mango yield fell significantly this year with most farmers from the major mango growing areas of Kolar and Ramanagaram districts reporting that their yield was only 20% of what they usually have. As is the case with many horticulture crops in the last two years, incessant rains greatly affected the mango crops too. First, during the flowering season, instead of cold conditions, rainy conditions prevailed which was not conducive for the process and thus, there were not many hermaphrodite flowers. After the fruit came to the markets (later than usual), frequent complaints were heard by consumers that the prices of all varieties were mostly above ₹100 per kg this year. However, by the second week of July, it seemed like the season was already over.
“We were a little hopeful after the flowering even though they were affected with blossom blight. But then came rainfall and hailstorms which led to only 25% of these flowers becoming fruits. If one hectare produced ten tonnes of fruits before, this year we only got 2.5 tonnes. Even though the prices went up due to lack of supply, it was in no way enough for us to even break even as we have to invest at least ₹40- 50,000 per hectare,” explained Chinnappa Reddy, president, Kolar Mango Growers’ Association.
