Why is it difficult to find good mangoes this year?

Nirupama Reddy’s phone is ringing continuously since the first week of April. Friends and customers are constantly inquiring about the arrival of Banganapalli mangoes from the farm owned by his family at Othivakkam near Chengalpet. “The start of mango season has been delayed this year, and the yield has been very low due to incessant rains during the flowering season. Mangoes will be ready for harvesting in our field by the first week of June [two months later than usual], That is why our customers are eagerly calling us up,” she says.

At his Hanu Reddy Raghava Farm, there has been a huge drop in the yield. Normally they harvest 60 tonnes of fruit during the season, but this year they are expected to get 10 tonnes as well. The same situation prevails in farms across the state, unable to meet the normal demand for mangoes in the months of May and June.

Yet Hanu Reddy Farms will be relaunching its Great Mango Festival to reconnect with customers, offering families a chance to harvest mangoes on their farm, play traditional games, ride bullock carts, and traditional food served on 150-foot-tall wood. Will invite you to sample the food. table. (The incident happened between 6 am and 12 noon on June 11 and 12, 18 and 19.)

Srinivasan Jayapal of Salem mango saw less than 50 per cent yield this year, and says farmers who tried to save the damage by spraying insecticides could not save it because of the rains. “We buy mangoes from farmers in Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Erode. Since the supply is less, the cost has doubled this year and hence people are buying less.” He says the quality has also been affected, “Mangoes have very little sweetness. The most popular in our region are Nadusalai, Pether, Imam Pasand, Salem Gundu, Salem Bangalore, Kudadath and Malgoa.”

“Last year we enjoyed bountiful supply with exceptional flavor and sweetness, but this year it is the complete opposite,” says Divya Pamuru from Namma Suvai, Chennai, who advocates organic and sustainable farming. “The rain affected the flowers. Then, the recent rains damaged the fruits just before harvesting, causing them to rot quickly,” she says, adding, “All the fruits we got this year, the taste has been compromised. The yields of premium varieties like Imam Pasand and Malgoa are even lower.”

about time

Manjula Gandhi Ruban, Founder and CEO, Mangopoint, says that apart from climatic conditions, another factor affecting mangoes this year was the hasty mango harvest by some farmers. “The harvesting of mango has to be done with utmost care. We get our mangoes in and around Tiruvallur district, where we ask farmers to harvest them with three centimeters of stem, or else we refuse to buy them. The milk from the stem can affect the shelf life,” she explains.

Tiruvallur district is also home to Reddy’s organic farm spread over 150 acres in Anaipakkam village. Farm owner Sanga Reddy says he too prefers to wait till the mangoes ripen in the trees before harvesting. Immediately after the harvest, he dispatches to organic shops in Chennai. They also make and sell mango pulp, in addition to mozzarella cheese made from native cow’s milk, goat’s milk cheese, and the region’s typical Vaikuntham samba rice.

This summer, Sanga is now counting on the fact that at his farm, visitors can spend a day and enjoy farm life. “We provide breakfast and lunch and families can spend time watching agricultural activities and taking a dip in the pool. Mango and paneer flavor is also included in the package,” says Sanga Reddy.

Prasanna Venkatarathinam, co-founder of Mangopoint, says that barely five per cent of mangoes have been given export quality status this year. “The district has over 9,000 hectares of mango trees and produces over 50,000 metric tonnes of mangoes every year. It is the second largest mango producing region in India after Uttar Pradesh. First class mangoes are exported and placed for our domestic online customers.

Mangoes ready for harvest | photo credit: special arrangement

At their packhouse and storage facility in Tiruvallur, 10 women from nearby villages are employed for washing, grading, sorting and packing mangoes, which are typically shipped to the US, Singapore and parts of Europe . With the operation giving tough competition this year, the team is changing focus.

The second and third grade produce – which constitute the bulk of this year’s produce – are being diverted to other uses. “We also have a solar drying facility in our packhouse, where we dehydrate the mangoes and vacuum pack them. We also offer Mango Pulp, Mango Muesli, Mango Energy Bar and Mango Sauce and Jam,” says Prasanna.

“Since we started late, we expect the mango season to last a little longer, till the end of July, but the varieties available will also be less. The arrival of Rumani signals the end of the mango season,” says Manjula. Till then there is some fun left.