Muthalamada filled with scent of mangoes

EU decision to lift ban, coupled with bumper harvest, proves a boon

March 02, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:40 am IST - Muthalamada (Palakkad):

Sorting and packing process in progress at a mango orchard at Pothumpadam in Muthalamada grama panchayat of Palakkad district on Sunday. Kerala’s mango capital Muthalamada is the first across India to supply mango fruits to markets in and outside the country.— Photo: K.K. Mustafah

Sorting and packing process in progress at a mango orchard at Pothumpadam in Muthalamada grama panchayat of Palakkad district on Sunday. Kerala’s mango capital Muthalamada is the first across India to supply mango fruits to markets in and outside the country.— Photo: K.K. Mustafah

Mango orchards spread in 45,000 hectares of land in this grama panchayat sharing borders with Tamil Nadu is bustling with activity this week with popular varieties of the fruit beginning to ripen.

Muthalamada is the biggest centre of mango production in the country and the fruit varieties are the first to reach global markets much before the mangoes mature in the gardens of the competitors, chiefly Peru and Venezuela.

Mango export alone is worth Rs.200 crore a season in this otherwise sleepy region of Palakkad. The recent decision of the European Union (EU) to lift a ban on Indian mangoes, which went on for seven months, has come as a major relief for the mango growers of Muthalamada and many have had bumper harvests, too, this time.

“Exporters have already started flocking to our villages. The yield is high this time, compared to previous years. Among the mango hubs in the country, harvesting begins in Muthalamada first, by February end every year, and the season continues till the end of July,” Mohan Kumar, general secretary of Muthalamada Mango Merchants Association, says.

Quality control

In the orchards, temporary workers are seen plucking mangoes as per their class meant for exports under the strict watch of contractors. Numerous trucks rush in and out of the orchards carrying farm-fresh mangoes to wholesale markets. Strict quality control is in place for mangoes meant for export to the Gulf and European countries.

In the face of allegations that the orchards use heavy doses of pesticides, many have come up this time with organically cultivated mangoes with a high price tag.

According to environmentalist S. Guruvayurappan, also a resident, Muthalamada produces almost all the best and most sought-after varieties of mangoes in India — Alphonso, Neelam, Mallika, Malgova, Chenthooram, etc. — and they all have overwhelming demand in the international market. Muthalamada mangoes are also well-known for their flavour, taste, and juiciness.

P.K. Haneefa, secretary of the Mango Farmers Association, says the panchayat has over 600 contractors, 36 registered exporters, and 20 mango-parking facilities and they altogether provide jobs to a minimum of 15,000 people in a season as fruit pluckers, sorters, and packers. A number of mango lovers from areas around Palakkad are also visiting Muthalamada now to buy their preferred varieties directly from the farms.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.