Karnataka - Mysore   

Mango lovers are a sour lot

MYSORE: People who enjoy eating the “king of fruits” are a disappointed lot. With the steep fall in yield due to unseasonable rainfall that hit Mysore district in March this year, they are unable to get good quality fruits. Prices have also shot up.

While the premium varieties such as Badami, Mallika, Benusha and Malgoa are priced above Rs. 40 a kg, varieties such as Neelam, Raspuri, Baganapalli and Sanidoora are available in the range of Rs. 25 to Rs. 30 a kg.

The rain severely hit flowering and tender mangoes fell from the trees due to excessive moisture.

The yield of mango, particularly in the Mysore belt, is below average this year since the rain also led to an outbreak of powdery mildew, a fungal disease that affects flowering.

A mango trader on Akbar Road said, “This year we are not getting quality mangoes from the orchards. Production has been affected because of rain during flowering.

Since the yield is low, prices have also shot up. The supply will end once the south-west monsoon begins, by the end of this month.”

Tender mangoes either drop from the tree or get spoilt because of rain. Powder-like formation occurs on the mango flowers preventing fruit formation. Even if the fruits are formed they drop very early. Officials of the Horticulture Department had stated that yield would come down by 50 per cent this year owing to the unseasonable rains.

All popular varieties of mango are grown in Mysore. They are sold in parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Alphonso variety is grown in H.D. Kote taluk, which is the taluk which grows the most mangoes in the district. The varieties of mangoes grown in the district include Raspuri, Malgoa, Badami, Sanidoora, Mallika, Balaja and Totapuri.

However, now traders are unable to meet the demand in the neighbouring States. The Alphonso variety, which is available in shopping malls and major fruit stalls in the city, has been procured mainly from Maharashtra and parts of Belgaum.

Though Mysore district is not known for cultivating mangoes compared to districts such as Kolar, the area under mango cultivation has been increasing every year. “Though the mango yield had come down in 2007, the area under cultivation has increased, which is noteworthy,” an official said.

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