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Journalism of Courage
In spite of a bumper mango crop this year,the mango growers of the famous Maal-Malihabad belt of UP are the losers. While last time,it was poor production that had hit them,this time the bumper crop has managed to hit them equally hard.
Because of the poor storage and processing facilities in the state,the farmers are forced to sell the early ripened fruits at extremely low prices in view of the soaring temperature. Last time,the produce of mangoes was 4 to 5 lakh tonne from the fruit belt. This time it is expected to go up to 8.1 lakh tonnes. But only around 25 tonne mangoes have been exported mainly to the Gulf countries, informed Bhanu Prakash Ram,Chief Horticulturist of Department of Horticulture and Food Processing in Malihabad.
The mangoes of the fruit belt hardly find any market apart from the local villages and towns and there are no processing units in the area to use the pulp of the mangoes for various mango products. There are a number of problems with establishment of industrial processing units for mangoes in the area, said a senior official at the Department of Horticulture and food processing.
The pulp of Dussehri is not as per the industrial requirement,because it is less in quantity,has a typical aroma which overpowers any other aroma to be mixed in the product and the price of Dussehri is high whereas the industries want cheap pulp. Secondly,there is a lack of policy for promoting agro-based industry in the region. Whereas neighboring states have better facilities like a 24-hour electricity supply,50 per cent subsidy for farmers as well as favorable condition for industries to flourish,our state lacks such initiative and hence industries are not interested in coming here, he said. Even as a solid waste management project is underway in the area,no small scale industries can be set up here even for fruit processing because of the area being a fruit belt.
Though the yield this year is better than last time,a large portion of the crop has been destroyed as well. Government officials blame the improper methods of plucking. The farmers are in such a hurry to sell their produce that because of shortage of labour they hit the mangoes in order to pluck them. When the mangoes fall on the ground the fruit is harmed and starts decaying. Similarly,handling during transportation is not proper, said Ram.
The ground is so hard due to lack of rain that when the fruits,which ripen at the same time due to the heat,fall on the ground and either rupture or are bruised and finally rot, said Abdul Rashid,a mango farmer of Malha village near Baniya kheda at the outskirts of Lucknow. Even with the bumper crop the farmer is destroyed this time, he said.
Last time,though the yield was low,the size and quality of the fruit was good. This time,even with 200 to 250 boxes per beegha,the quality is poor and the mangoes are not paying well. Thus last time,the small farmers were hit while this time,even the big farmers are suffering, said Rambaran Singh of Aau Mau village.
