Live
- Over 7,600 Syrians return from Turkiye in five days after Assad's downfall: minister
- Delhi BJP leaders stay overnight in 1,194 slum clusters
- Keerthy Suresh and Anthony Thattil Tie the Knot in a Christian Ceremony
- AAP, BJP making false promises to slum dwellers for votes: Delhi Congress
- 'Vere Level Office' Review: A Refreshing Take on Corporate Life with Humor and Heart
- Libya's oil company declares force majeure at key refinery following clashes
- Illegal Rohingyas: BJP seeks Assembly session to implement NRC in Delhi
- Philippines orders full evacuation amid possible volcanic re-eruption
- Government Prioritizes Welfare of the Poor, says Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneyaswamy
- Two Russian oil tankers with 29 on board damaged due to bad weather
Sans mangoes, markets in Karimnagar lose sheen
Mango markets in the district are wearing deserted looks as there are no fruits to sell. Gales, hailstorms and unseasonal rainfalls caused severe damage to mango orchards subsequently depriving the markets of their fair share of fruits in the current season.
Gales, hailstorms and unseasonal rainfalls hit mango markets hard as crops were damaged severely
Karimnagar: Mango markets in the district are wearing deserted looks as there are no fruits to sell. Gales, hailstorms and unseasonal rainfalls caused severe damage to mango orchards subsequently depriving the markets of their fair share of fruits in the current season.
Like every year, several mango markets are set up in the district especially in Jagityal division including Jagityal, Korutla and Metpalli. Commission agents usually set up their stalls to procure fruits from farmers and orchards lease holders. Later, they transport fruits to other States by packing them in cartons on order base.
Thought these markets have been set up since April 15, half of the stalls are not become operational so far. Majority of commission agents, who opened their stalls, have not started any business. In the wake of crop damage, mango arrivals to these markets have drastically fallen down.
According to unauthorised statistics, about Rs 200 crore worth mango crop was damaged due to gales and hailstorm that hit the district three times in the recent past. Farmers and lease holders of mango orchards are facing trouble due to lack of mangoes.
Speaking to The Hans India, a commission agent and owner of MNJ Jagityal Mango Centre, Md Moin said this year the cultivation of mango crop was reduced by 50 per cent. Of that, 25 per cent of the crop was damaged due to gales, hailstorms and unseasonal rainfall.
Stating that there was no loss for farmers, he said people who took the orchards on lease were suffering due to the crop damage. Jagityal mangoes (gold color) are famous in other States and in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) as well and it is not possible to export this time as the quality of the fruit is not good, he said.
Fruits had been supplied to Delhi, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Kerala, he said.Another commission agent and orchard lease holder, Md Moulana said, “I have leased three orchards by spending Rs 9 lakh, but all of them were
damaged. I am unable to get at least Rs 1 lakh. Every year, I used to do Rs 1 crore business. But, this year, I have not started business yet.” There were 60 shops in Jagityal fruit market and half of them had not yet started business, said another commission agent, MA Mohsin, adding that farmers were not bringing crops to the market even though there were hundreds of orchards in the surrounding mandals like Raikal, Jagityal, Choppadanid, Dharmapuri, Dharmaram, Vemulawada, Sarangapur, Malyala and others.
Taking the situation as an advantage, mango traders are allegedly trying to exploit farmers and paying meagre amounts for damaged fruits. Best quality mangoes in big size and attractive shapes are being paid up to Rs 25 per kilogram, while traders are not ready to spend at least Rs 5 for damaged fruits. Speaking to The Hans India, a farmer Chinnaiah, a native of Gorrepalli village of Mallapur mandal, said though his crops were not damaged much, commission agents were not keen on giving good price.
By:Raghu Paithari
