BENGALURU: Here is disappointing news for lovers of the king of fruit, mango. This year, the yield will be less, which also means prices will be high. It is because of high moisture content in the soil after heavy, untimely rain last year which has led to vegetative growth and not floral growth in mango trees.
Karnataka is one of the top mango growers in the country, with 1.7 lakh hectares in 16 districts under cultivation, especially in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Dharwad, and Ramanagar districts. Every year, the production is around 10 lakh tonnes. But in 2020, it was 15 lakh tonnes, SV Hittalmani, former additional director of horticulture and senior horticulture scientist, told The New Indian Express.
The production this year could be half of last year, around 8 lakh tonnes, as per initial estimates. “However, we will get the second estimation done after January 15, which will give us a clearer picture. But the yield will definitely be less than last year,” he said.
Last year, the entire state, including mango-growing regions, experienced heavy rain in November which has led to high moisture content in the soil, he said. “Mango trees are giving out more leaves. In fact, the floral growth, instead of vegetative growth, should have been more around this season. With less or no flowers, the yield will naturally be low. We are expecting the mango season to start on time in March, but with a lesser number of fruits,” he added. Growers are also worried as flowers are setting late.
Delay in mango flowering worries growers
NR Chinnappa Reddy, president, Kolar Mango Growers’ Association, said that normally, flowering starts in December, especially for alphonso and sendhura varieties. But this year, there is hardly any flowering in Kolar, which contributes nearly 8 lakh tonnes to total production.
“At least 100 days are needed to get fruits from the time of flowering. If flowering is delayed, fruits will be delayed. If the monsoon sets in by then, we will face problems,” he said.