The price of the totapuri mango has crashed due to low demand for its pulp, leaving farmers to dump produce on roads
MANGO CULTIVATORS of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalseema region have been badly affected this season. The prices of the king of fruits have crashed in the district, which along with the bordering areas of Nellore and Kadapa, is a major global mango producing region. Most farmers here grow the totapuri variety, which has high demand in the international market for its pulp. According to the horticulture department officials, the estimated yield this year is about 40 percent less as a result of unseasonal rains. But more than the low produce, what’s worrying farmers is that pulp industries are not receptive in lifting stocks.
Distressed cultivators, many of whom ditched other crops in favour of mango due to surging interest in horticulture and government subsidy, have hit the streets and at many places dumped their produce on the roads to protest against prices dipping as low as ₹4.5 for a kg. This has come as a shocker as in the month of May this year, mangoes sold at ₹ 12 a kg, and last year, the prices stood at ₹ 20 per kg. To tide over the crisis, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced in the first week of July that pulp-making industries would have to pay a minimum support price of ₹ 7.50 per kg to the mango growers, out of which the government will offer ₹ 2.50 directly to the farmers. The move has brought cheer to about 60,000 farmers. Pulp factory owners have also been asked to lift produce from the district and not take orders from outside.
Slump in demand
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01, 2018 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 01, 2018 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara