Mango cries for recognition

DHARAMSALA, Aug 3: The king of fruits, mango, has yet to catch the fancy of the Himachal government, notwithstanding the tall claims by D...

DHARAMSALA, Aug 3: The king of fruits, mango, has yet to catch the fancy of the Himachal government, notwithstanding the tall claims by Dhumal leadership to give this lower area fruit its due.

Against the focus on apple, right form plantation to marketing, the bumper mango crop, with a production exceeding 3,335 metric tonnes in Kangra district alone, has again been left to the mercy of an ailing system, where, apart from a namesake support price, there is no intervention on the part of the government.

8220;There is no facility and no organised guidance for us at any level. Even the alarming attack of mango hopper insect on the crop could not move the state government to take emergency steps to save the crop,8221; comment some mango growers of Nurpur. They are bitter about the state government8217;s callousness towards setting up a suitable marketing network and transport arrangement for mango at par with apple, as it is produced in abundance in a cluster of lower area districts, especially Kangra.

8220;Desi and grafted, both types of mangoes are produced here, which are best for pickles and other fruit products. But since the disposal of mango is not facilitated and we have to sell the entire harvest at our own level according to available local resources, a large quantity of the fruit decays every year or has to be sold at throwaway prices,8221; laments a mango orchardist of Kangra.

Perhaps, organising a mango show once a year is not enough. It is high time the government did something substantial to make mango farming more scientific, lest the lower area growers are forced to uproot their mango orchards for want of encouragement, as has been the trend with citrus fruit growers of Kangra district in yesteryears.

8220;Just to avoid unnecessary hassle, mango growers in some pockets resort to auctioning their trees in the season. This points to the disinterest in the crop,8221; says a horticulture employees. He said that though the department had been helping farmers at some levels, yet much more needs to be done.