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Journalism of Courage
With rising temperatures driving away the winter and multiple heat waves since the start of the year, mango farmers in the Konkan region of Maharashtra — home to the Alphonso variety — are a worried lot.
Mandar Khedkar, who has three orchards in Sangameshwar and Ratnagiri talukas of Ratnagiri district, says his mango trees have not seen any flowering or fruit formation post-December. The current harvest season will be over by early April, but his trees may not bear fruit. “This year, my produce has gone down by 75 per cent. Even at the current price, which is double that of last year, it would not cover the cost of production,” he says.
Khedkar is not sure if he will make the trip to the Pune market to sell his Alphonso mangoes. “The current rate at Pune’s market is around Rs 6,000-7,000 for a box of four dozen mangoes. It is difficult to get customers at this rate — but the real story is that I do not have enough quantity to cover the cost of transport and other expenses,” he says.
Vivek Bhide, chairman of the Konkan Hapus Amba Utpadak Vikreta Sahakari Sanstha — the organisation which represents the Alphonos or Hapus growers from the region — says only 30 per cent of the average produce may be available for consumers this year. He blames this on the absence of winter.
Winter is an important season for the physiology of the mango plant. It is during the winter months that the plants start flowering, followed by fruit formation within 60 days.
Depending on the “treatment” — including application of fertilisers and growth promoters — mango trees can flower twice or thrice, ensuring fruit formation till May.
But, since the start of the year, the Konkan region of Maharashtra (including Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts) has witnessed multiple heat waves, with average day temperatures soaring above 39 degrees. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heat wave warnings for the region multiple times since the first week of March.
Even before the heat waves began, farmers complained of the absence of winter. All this has resulted in excessive fruit dropping, or premature shedding of fruit, say farmers.
According to Bhide, most orchards have not reported much flowering after November-December. “For the markets to have healthy supply from about March onwards, we should have flowering in February-March. Usually, markets are flooded with mangoes by May, and many farmers send their produce to juice and pulp manufacturers. This year, I don’t see that happening,” he says.
At Mumbai’s wholesale markets, traders say the supply of mangoes is less than usual. Sanjay Pansare, a trader, says the supply of mangoes usually starts from January, with the season picking up after March 15. “But this year, the arrival of mangoes is really slow. What we gather is that the season will start from April 4 and get over by mid-May. In fact, the production for the whole season may be limited to that window,” he says.
