Traders duping farmers by forming cartels

Traders duping farmers by forming cartels
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Highlights

Discouraging exports, natural calamities and mango pulp traders forming into a syndicate have sent mango prices in the open market tumble down to Rs 17000 a tonne from Rs 45,000 a month earlier. Therefore, the mango farmers of the district are reduced to tears because of the prevailing market situation.

Kadapa: Discouraging exports, natural calamities and mango pulp traders forming into a syndicate have sent mango prices in the open market tumble down to Rs 17000 a tonne from Rs 45,000 a month earlier. Therefore, the mango farmers of the district are reduced to tears because of the prevailing market situation.

Highlights:

  • Syndication of traders, import of mangoes from other states and natural calamities attributed to dwindling price
  • Mango prices fell to Rs 17,000 a tonne from Rs 45,000, a month ago, in the open market

Mango orchards were raised in 47,000 hectares in Rayachoti, Lakkireddypalli, Rajampet and Koduru areas of the district. Benishan, Imampasand, Cheruku Rasalu, Kalepadu and Bengaluru varieties of mangoes were cultivated. A tonne of mangoes fetched Rs 40,000-50,000 a month ago. Now, the prices tumbled down to Rs 17,000 a tonne.

The dwindling price is attributed to mangoes flooding the market. Heavy import of mangoes was reported from Chittoor, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other markets. Heavy imports followed by weak exports send the prices crashing down. If the same trend were to prevail, the mangoes will languish in the gardens inflicting huge losses to farmers. The mango varieties specified above are believed to have good demand in international market.

But, it was not the case to be. A grade of Benishan variety is not commanding more than Rs 17,000 a tonne, Imampasand is being quoted at below Rs 30,000 a tonne and the highly-cultivated Neelam variety is entering the market commanding a price less than Rs 8000 a tonne making it impossible for the farmers to recover investments and transport costs. Vexed with the poor prices in the market, the farmers are leaving the mangoes on the trees.

Untimely rains and gusty winds have inflicted a good deal of damage to the crop. Traders are not coming forward to buy the mangoes dropped from trees. The pulp traders formed into a syndicate and reined the prices of mangoes when the yield was picking up. They did not trade the Bangaluru variety for more than Rs 15,000 a tonne. Qadar variety price was deliberately slashed to Rs 15,000 from its glorious best–Rs 50,000 a tonne.

The traders duped the farmers and selling the mangoes in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana markets at a price of Rs 42,000 to Rs 45,000 a tonne. The mango farmer of Kadapa district was caught between natural calamities and the syndication of traders.

By P Nagaraju

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