Mango lovers, especially those who wait to buy from boutique farms or organic markets are sorely disappointed this year, with the limited stock and variety. Owners of boutique mango farms in Telangana say the mango crop this year has taken a beating. Most of the farms yielded only 30 % of the crop.
Fans of the Himayat – also known as Imam pasand – mango that is marked by light skin and thin seed, are especially desperate to get a taste of its sweet flesh .
Madhu Reddy of Aiyor Bai farm says she would be surprised if her 30-year-old trees yield any mangoes for sale. She explains, “First, I decided to prune a part of my mango trees, then the extended monsoon last year plus erratic temperatures this year affected the flowering to a large extent.”
Having been in touch with other farmers, she finds they too have similar concerns. “It is surprising to see the sweet variety mangoes still raw on some trees while some other farmers are witnessing ripening of mangoes on the trees. They ripened on trees due to the recent heat wave followed by a sudden drop in temperature.”
Owners of boutique mango farms are constantly bombarded with calls and messages enquiring about mango sales. Suman Ganpat of Breeze Organic Mango farm says, “We reactivated our WhatsApp group for the sale of mangoes very late on account of the small and late crop. Usually, by mid-June, our customers would have purchased the Himayat variety over six to eight times, within one month. This year we have minimal stock and are selling only twice. A few customers are even ready to pick raw stock of Himayat, just so that they don’t miss a relishing their favourite mango.”
Explaining the tending of mango farms, Madhu says, “From October till January, mango trees are not watered. Watering, if necessary, begins when pea-sized baby mangoes appear on trees. However, last year the rains continued till October. And that affected the time taken by the tree to do its work. Excess rains results in a vegetative crop and delays the flowering period.”
This delays the entire process. “Late flowering results in late fruiting and the entire concept of mango being a summer crop is affected. This is what happened in the case of the Himayat this year. It is a fussy breed and needs time to get ready for us. With weather conditions not being conducive the fruit yield has got affected.”
