Poor yield, falling prices hit mango growers in Vedaranyam region
Farmers across the Vedaranyam region are reeling under a double blow this mango season, with both yield and market prices witnessing a steep decline. The downturn has severely impacted small and tenant farmers, many of whom say they could hardly recover their input cost this year.
'This is our perumboga paruvam — the season we usually rely on for profits,' said R. Jegannathan, a mango farmer from Sembodai panchayat. 'But this year, we've been hit from both sides. Last year, despite a dip in yield, prices held steady. This time, there's surplus production in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of Tamil Nadu, and the local markets are flooded with the produce.'
Mr. Jegannathan said tenant farmers were the worst affected. 'If someone had taken a mango orchard on lease for ₹1 lakh, they would barely make ₹10,000 this year,' he said and attributed the decline in yield to post-rainfall pest attacks in early summer.
After Cyclone Gaja ravaged the district in 2018, the area under mango cultivation shrank from nearly 5,000 hectares to just 2,900 hectares. Although farmers slowly resumed cultivation, this season's setback had dealt a fresh blow to them.
Crash in prices
Data showed a sharp fall in prices of all varieties. Raw mangoes fetched ₹8 to ₹10 a kg this year, down from ₹10 to ₹15 last year. The price of Romania variety had dropped to ₹20 from ₹40, Imam Pasand to ₹40 from ₹90, Banganapalli to ₹30 from ₹50, and Senthuram to ₹20 from ₹40.
S. Parthasarathy, a farmer and trader from Vettaikaraniruppu, said heavy pest infestation and unseasonal rain have worsened the situation. 'We've been using more fertilisers each year, but the pests are becoming increasingly resistant,' he said. 'We get fair price only when our produce reaches Chennai or Kerala. But this year, due to heavy arrivals from Andhra Pradesh and the Theni belt, our mangoes are not moving beyond local markets.'
Official sources in the Horticulture department acknowledged the price slump and said a section of affected farmers had been provided with inputs, including fertilizers and pest-control support.
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