The searing heat and lack of moisture may damage the mango crop even as the overall production this year is expected to fall since it is being an ‘off-year’ for the crop in the State.
Even as the area of mango cultivation hasn’t increased over the years in the case of Mysuru with farmers opting for commercial crops rather than mango for sustained income, about 6,000 tonnes of fruit is expected from the district this year.
“Another reason why the output is uncertain is delayed flowering. In the month of March too, flowering has taken place. Wherever the water source is good, the flowers may survive and give rise to fruit. But in dry conditions, the chances could be very little as the flower to fruit ratio is 1:1000 in the case of mango,” explains Deputy Director of Horticulture Rudresh.
He told The Hindu that fruits have set in trees where the flowering had taken place in January. This year, the flowering is not uniform. It is delayed and one of the reasons could be heavy rains during 2021-end. “In orchards having drip irrigation or sufficient water sources, the crop can sustain. If the same weather continues and lack of moisture is prolonged, the yield may further drop even though the season’s first arrival of fruits was expected to hit the markets after April 15.”
Mysuru is not a major mango growing area unlike places like Kolar, Ramanagaram, Chikkaballapur, and Tumakuru.. Badam and Mallika varieties are predominantly grown in Mysuru where the crop is cultivated on about 4,000 hectares, which is almost the same since many years ago.
“Mysuru has many alternatives for the crop and that’s the reason why the mango crop cultivation has not expanded here. Moreover, farmers prefer sustained income which is not possible in mango which is a yearly crop. All these factors have resulted in cultivable area not expanding over the years,” Mr. Rudresh explained.
He said it’s an off-year for the crop and the yield could be less compared to last year which was an on-year. “Last year, the district produced around 8,000 tonnes of mango and around 6,000 tonnes was expected this year.”
Mango enthusiasts in the State may need to shell out more money this year for relishing their favourite fruit as the production is expected to fall significantly compared to last year’s output with the present year turning out to be an off-year for the crop.
The untimely rains in November-December last year may also have a bearing on the production. The fruit is likely to turn expensive, particularly the premium varieties, with the expected fall in yield.
A yield of about 7 to 8 lakh tonnes has been predicted this year in the State and the early varieties of the fruit are likely to hit the market by March-end or early April. Last year, the State produced around 15 lakh tonnes of mangoes and only half of this production is forecast for this year.
Farmers, despite facing various problems and COVID-19 induced lockdowns, managed to overcome difficulties as several of them resorted to direct marketing unlike in 2020 when the situation was entirely different with the outbreak of the pandemic.
