Reasons: Pest attack, adverse climate, global recession
Mango ouput may fall by almost 20 per cent since the crop suffered damages this year. Initial estimates by the agriculture ministry suggest that crop output may be lower by around 10 per cent. Last week’s pest attack in northern India has further dampened the situation.
“There has been some adverse impact of erratic climate on mango production in Gujarat and Maharashtra but the crop was normal in both northern and southern parts of the country when surveyed recently. On average, the mango production will be lower by less than 10 per cent this year across the country”, Union Agriculture Ministry officials said. But this comment was made before the pest attack which spoiled the northern crop of Dussehri mangoes.
According to the data available with the ministry, total mango production in 2006-07 was at around 13.5 million tonnes. The official data for 2007-08 is not available, but according to industry estimates, around 11.9 million tonnes of mangoes were grown in the country last year. Current year’s crop is estimated to be a little over 10 million tonnes.
It may be mentioned here that the Kesar variety of mango is quite popular in the export market. Lower production and global recession are likely to bring down the mango exports this year, which consist of Kesar and Alphonso varieties only.
Mango growers, exporters and government officials believe that production in Gujarat will decline substantially this year. According to the data available with the state horticulture department, the mango production in 2007-08 stood at 930,000 tonnes and the total acreage was 109,000 hectares.
“In the wake of adverse climatic conditions, we expect the mango production in South Gujarat to be only 20 per cent of the total production witnessed previous year. All the eight co-operative societies in south Gujarat procured 1,000 tonnes of mango last year,” said Hemant Nayak, secretary, Amalsar Mango Co-operative Society.
“Warm winter severely hit the flowering process. We will be able to get only 20 per cent crop this year. The arrival of Kesar variety of mango starts from May. There will be a short supply of mango in Gujarat markets,” said Ajit Desai, chairman and managing director, Desai Fruits and Vegetables, a Gujarat based leading fruit exporter.
The Dussehri belt in Uttar Pradesh is also in gloom this year as in some areas around 90 per cent crop has been damaged due to inconsistent weather conditions.
As a result of this the exporters are shying away from taking orders. The Chairman of the UP Mango Export Council, Sheikh Insram Ali informed Business Standard that the Dussehri mango has been exported to Wes t Asia and Singapore from Malihabad, Saharanpur and Amroha regions of UP.
According to him, the export will dip by 30 to 40 per cent. The biggest exporter of mango from UP, Nadeem Siddiqui of Shahnaaj Exports, said 50 per cent crop has been damaged in Saharanpur and Amroha. Nadeem who has the credit of being the first exporter of Langda and Chausa variety of mango, stated that around 20 tonnes of both these varieties may be exported this year.
Siddiqui, however, said last year around 900 tonnes of Alphonso from Maharashtra and Kesar from Gujrat were exported to Europe, US and the Gulf countries through the sea route. He said that this year around 980 to 1,000 tonnes Alphonso will be exported. Though Insram Ali said every year mango used to do business worth Rs 2,400 crore from UP but this year growers are not expecting business more than Rs 500 crore.
West Bengal is also likely to witness a record drop in mango production this year, as adverse weather conditions in major mango-producing districts like Malda and Murshidabad has resulted up to a 70 per cent drop in flowering on trees.
Last year West Bengal produced 623,000 tonnes of mangoes, out of which Malda and Murshidabad accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total produce.
Tarun Ghosh, a farmer in Nadia district of West Bengal said, flowering had been lower by 50 per cent this year in Nadia too.
(With inputs from Namrata Acharya in Kolkata)
