Hyderabad, February 25: The mangoes are not there yet but farmers already apprehend a bitter-sweet after taste.
Reason: the eternal curse of the mango growers, that unseasonal rain, has already poured cold water on their hopes of a bigger, better yield than last year.
G Sanjeev Reddy of Kandukuri village, Khammam dist, was a happy man just a couple of weeks ago. His mango orchards had abundant flowering.
Two days of unseasonal rain last week robbed them of their sheen.
“This season, the flowering was late compared to the previous seasons. But it was abundant which had raised hopes of a bumper yield among many farmers like me.
The unseasonal rain has damaged the fields which resulted in flower drop. Am worried that the yield may be less than the last season,” Sanjeev Reddy says.
The highest mango producing district in the state, Krishna, has also been affected by unseasonal rain.
Y Venkata Reddy of Nunna village, Krishna district, laments: “I have lost 50% of the flowering in my mango orchids.
Rain at this period of time is dangerous. It causes flower drop and infects plantations.” The officialdom, though, is upbeat and claims the bigger picture is optimistic.
“We have recorded only about 5 to 10% flower drop which is normal,” reasons Balaji Naik, Assistant Director, Horticulture Department, Krishna District. “Mango farmers have been made aware of the different measures to be taken and am confident they can rectify the problem,” he says. Naik further claims rains are useful since they decrease pest intensity.
Unlike the farmers, he expects a better yield this year.
Additional director, horticulture department, Khammam district, R Srinivasa Rao too echoes the same views. “These rains have not caused much of a problem and we are expecting a better yield than last year due to profuse flowering this year.”
–Agencies