As Prices Decline, Karnataka Farmers Dump Tonnes Of Mangoes On Roadside

Mango season is almost over. Farmers in Karnataka have restored to dumping tonnes of mangoes on the roadside near Srinivasapura of Kolar district in Karnataka due to a steep fall in the prices of certain varieties of the fruit.

The Banganapalli, Benishan and Totapuri varieties of the fruit are been dumped as they are being attacked by a fungal disease, and hence the prices are falling sharply, reported Deccan Chronicle.

Growers Demand Compensation

The mango growers are now demanding compensation from the government. Neelaturu Chinnappa Reddy, Kolar district Mango Growers Association president, said that compared to the past, the mango growers are particularly suffering a loss this year and are unable to bear the loss.

He said there are hardly any buyers for the Totapuri and Benishan varieties of mangoes. Reddy pointed out that in 2019, each tonne of Benishan was sold at ₹ 1 lakh in 2019, and between ₹ 50,000 and ₹ 80,000 last year. This year the price has drastically come down to ₹ 10,000-15,000. Farmers are struggling to even cover even the transport cost, Reddy added. He further said that there were no purchases from buyers in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for these varieties this year. Reddy also pointed out that there are not factories in Kolar or Chikkaballapur that store and collect pulps.

India Largest Producer Of Mangoes

India is the largest producer of mangoes with 41.63 of the total world production. It accounts for about 40 per cent of the total fruit exports from India. Madhubhai Bhoya, a Gujarat-based mango exporter said that mango exports in 2020 and 2021, nearly 70-80 per cent, were completely washed away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are facing export losses since 2016, he said.

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