Summer of woes for Kandhamal mango farmers of Odisha

PHULBANI: Kandhamal mango farmers have a bumper crop but very few takers, this year. Poor marketing coupled with absence of storage facilities apart, disruption in transport service due to lockdown has added to the woes of the tribals who watch their harvest getting spoilt every day.

Mango, over the years, had been a lucrative farming option for around 3,000 tribals who grow the fruit on over 11,300 hectare of land with the help of horticulture directorate.  The department has been encouraging commercial cultivation of mango for more than a decade now by introducing different varieties as well as hybrids including Bombay green, Amrapalli, Totapuri, Langeda, Banganpalli, Mallika and Lat Sundari.

But little has been done to help the farmers with marketing. It has not set up set up any cold storage for the produce to be preserved for a longer period. More bothersome have been the continuing curbs on inter-State transport, labour shortage and shutdown of markets. Some farmers have also taken to preparing ambula (dried mango) and amba sadha (fruit leather made of mango pulp) but the market for such items is also limited.

Staring at losses, the farmers have stopped plucking ripe mangoes and many are seen selling them at throwaway prices locally. In Daringibadi block, around 65 villages have farmers engaged in mango plantation, producing around 400 metric tonne every year. Farmers allege absence of proper markets and lack of viability to send the produce outside the district has added to their miseries.

“The department is not facilitating marketing of the produce and the absence of food processing unit or cold storage is forcing us to resort to distress sale,” said Sadashiv Pradhan, a mango grower of Bharamarbadi. “Steps are being taking to form mango-growing farmers’ society and create market facilities to encourage cultivators and ensure they get proper prices for their produce,” said assistant director and in-charge deputy director of Horticulture, Kabita Dash.