Even as mangoes are hugely in demand in markets across Gujarat, farmers of Kutch have been forced to dump tonnes of mangoes along the borders of their orchards due to the damage by Cyclone Biparjoy. “The gusty winds of the cyclone caused massive damage. There are no takers for these mangoes. So, we are forced to dump them in the open areas near our orchards,” Ashok, a mango orchard owner from Sukhpar Roha village in Nakhatrana taluka of Kutch, told The Indian Express. He had to dump a massive quantity on Thursday. Similar scenes are being witnessed in Anjar, Bhuj, Mandvi, and Mundra talukas, which along with Nakhtrana, form the main mango belt of Kutch. “As these mangoes were whipped to the ground by gusty winds, they were either damaged or they started rotting. Rain and humid weather meant the rotting was rapid,” Nandkishor Jadeja, owner of an 18-acre mango orchard in Khedoi village in Anjar taluka of Kutch said, adding he dumped three-tractor-trolley-loads of mangoes near his orchard on Thursday. As per the latest state government data, Kutch has horticulture crops across 57,735 hectares. Of that, mango orchards account for 10,960 hectares (ha) and are the third biggest horticulture crop of Kutch after pomegranate (19,325 ha) and date palms (19,111 ha). The mango cultivation in Kutch is the fourth highest in the state after Valsad (37344 ha), Navsari (33855 ha), and Gir Somnath (14301 ha), and almost seven per cent of the state’s total mango orchards area of 1.66 lakh ha. However, horticulture crops like fresh dates and mangoes suffered a large-scale damage as the district witnessed winds gusting up to 120 km per hour and torrential rains as Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall at Jakhau port in Abdasa taluka of Kutch on June 15. “The harvest was at its peak when the cyclone hit. There is no point in taking damaged and rotting mangoes to market. Instead, we are asking people to take whatever they want from orchards and dumping the rest in the open for livestock to feed on,” Jadeja further said. The he yard of the agricultural produce market committee (APMC), Anja, in Anjar taluka is overwhelmed by arrivals of mangoes after the cyclone blew over and markets reopened. “We are overwhelmed by the arrival of mangoes as farmers are desperate to sell as many mangoes as they can before the fruits rot completely. However, the glut has led to a crash in prices,” Mulji Mayatra, secretary of Anjar APMC said. “Price of fair average quality mangoes has now halved to around Rs20 per kg from the level of Rs40 per kg before the cyclone," he added. Mayatra further said the cyclone hit the district at the worst time for mango marketing season. Gujarat Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel is scheduled to visit cyclone-affected areas on Friday to assess the situation and extent of the damage.
