In spite of a bumper mango crop this year, the mango growers of the famous Maal-Malihabad belt of UP are the losers. While last time, it was poor production that had hit them, this time the bumper crop has managed to hit them equally hard.
Because of the poor storage and processing facilities in the state, the farmers are forced to sell the early ripened fruits at extremely low prices in view of the soaring temperature. “Last time, the produce of mangoes was 4 to 5 lakh tonne from the fruit belt. This time it is expected to go up to 8.1 lakh tonnes. But only around 25 tonne mangoes have been exported mainly to the Gulf countries,” informed Bhanu Prakash Ram, Chief Horticulturist of Department of Horticulture and Food Processing in Malihabad.
“Due to the high temperature, the fruits have ripened faster than last time. The market is flooded with mangoes and the rates have gone down. So far, I had to sell the ripe mangoes at Rs 2 per kilogram,” said Vijay Kumar, a young farmer of Aau Mau village of Maal block. The current rate for the famous Dussehri mangoes in the local market is between Rs 7 and Rs 10 per kilo.
Source:Indian Express 14 July 2010
Because of the poor storage and processing facilities in the state, the farmers are forced to sell the early ripened fruits at extremely low prices in view of the soaring temperature. “Last time, the produce of mangoes was 4 to 5 lakh tonne from the fruit belt. This time it is expected to go up to 8.1 lakh tonnes. But only around 25 tonne mangoes have been exported mainly to the Gulf countries,” informed Bhanu Prakash Ram, Chief Horticulturist of Department of Horticulture and Food Processing in Malihabad.
“Due to the high temperature, the fruits have ripened faster than last time. The market is flooded with mangoes and the rates have gone down. So far, I had to sell the ripe mangoes at Rs 2 per kilogram,” said Vijay Kumar, a young farmer of Aau Mau village of Maal block. The current rate for the famous Dussehri mangoes in the local market is between Rs 7 and Rs 10 per kilo.
Source:Indian Express 14 July 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment