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Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kesar mango fest brings consumers, farmers together
Ahmedabad: Gujarat govt on Wednesday launched its annual Kesar Mango Festival 2025 at Ahmedabad Haat in Vastrapur, featuring premium mangoes from eight districts including Junagadh, Talala and Gir Somnath. The Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Ltd (GAIC)-organized event hosts 85 stalls, enabling direct farmer-to-consumer sales of carbide-free mangoes . The festival showcases kesar mangoes from Valsad, Navsari, Dang, Narmada and Kutch regions."This platform eliminates middlemen, improving our profits and market reach," said Harsh Patel, a vendor from Talala. Another vendor Meet Vala, "Such events facilitate direct consumer interaction and motivate us to improve production."The state horticulture department's exhibition features diverse mango varieties from across India, including Totapuri from Andhra Pradesh, Rajapuri from Maharashtra and Langda from Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat's mango production has shown impressive growth, recording a 10.9% CAGR with production of 2.4 lakh metric tonnes, according to the India 2024 Horticulture Report. Officials anticipate sales of over 2.50 lakh kilograms during the festival. The event has received positive response from visitors. "I have never seen so many mango varieties in one place. This is a good way to learn about horticulture and mango varieties," said local resident Meena Shah. Ramesh Solanki, a software engineer from Satellite, said, "This is more than just a fruit festival. It's a showcase of Gujarat's agri-excellence." The festival continues for a month at Ahmedabad Haat, offering citizens direct access to premium kesar mangoes while supporting local farmers. — Inputs by Navya Nair and Palak Yadav
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Gujarat's mango produce loss estimated at up to 35% due to unseasonal rain
The sudden change in the weather condition in the state has taken a toll on mango crop, which was ready for harvesting in the farms of South Gujarat and Saurashtra. Horticulturists are estimating up to 35 per cent damage of crop, in the Alphonso and Kesar varieties, grown in these regions. In the middle of peak summer, the state witnessed sudden thunderstorm accompanied by high-speed winds and rain on Monday and Tuesday, causing pre-ripened fruit to fall from trees, leading to significant losses for mango farmers. State Horticulture Department teams, in co-ordination with Agricultural Department officials, began a survey on Wednesday to assess the losses incurred by farmers due to this natural calamity. Sources in the Horticulture Department told this paper that around 30 to 35 percent of the crops may have been damaged due to the weather conditions in South Gujarat. In South Gujarat, mangoes are typically cultivated in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and some parts of Bharuch, while in Saurashtra, they are grown in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Amreli, while the Kesar from Kutch is among the last to be harvested. According to information from the State Horticulture Department, mango farming spans approximately one lakh hectares of land in South Gujarat and around 42000 hectares in Saurashtra. Last year, the yield of mangoes in South Gujarat ranged from 4 to 4.25 tons per hectare, whereas in Saurashtra, it was approximately over 5 percent tons per hectare, according to sources in the State Horticulture Department. Due to the sudden change in climate witnessed on Monday and Tuesday, several areas in South Gujarat — Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dangs, and some parts of Saurashtra —experienced high-speed winds accompanied by light showers. Mango growers in Saurashtra have started plucking the fruit to prevent further damage, say sources. From Wednesday, Agriculture Department officials, along with gram sevaks at village levels, began conducting a survey in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch to assess the losses incurred by mango growers due to the weather that will take around five days, said officials. Joint director in the Surat range Horticulture Department in South Gujarat, Dinesh Paladiya, told The Indian Express, 'In South Gujarat, mango is grown on close to one lakh hectares of land, which includes over 36,000 hectares in Valsad, 33,000 hectares in Navsari, 15,000 hectares in Surat, and the remaining areas in Bharuch district. The major variety is Kesar, which accounts for around 60 per cent; Alphonso is grown over 30 percent, with Daseri, Langdo, Rajapuri, Totapuri, etc. making up the rest. Alphonso is primarily cultivated in Valsad. There are over 70,000 farmers in South Gujarat who cultivate mango, and from here, Alphonso and other varieties of mangoes are exported to Western countries.' 'On Monday and Tuesday, due to the high-speed winds and light showers, the ready-to-harvest crop was damaged. The assessment of the loss will be known by the survey. Mangoes had started coming into the market. In some areas, the harvesting will be done in the middle of May. This year, the production is to be ascertained, but the damage may have caused losses between 30 and 35 per cent to the farmers.' Research scientist Bhupendra Tandel at Aspee College of Horticulture said, 'Through the farmers in Navsari, we have come to know that this time male flowers have appeared in larger numbers than female flowers in mango orchards. Veteran mango growers can tell the difference while we carry out awareness programmes for amateur farmers. No fruit grows from male (flowers).' He further said: 'We also grow mango in the farms of our education institution, and due to the high speed of winds on Tuesday, over 50 per cent ready-to-harvest mangoes fell from a height and got damaged. Mango traders easily identify fallen fruits, and they don't buy them. Such fruit is used for making mango pulps by different factories in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad.' Tandel also said, 'The mango fruit is sensitive to climate conditions. If the day temperature is higher than 34 degrees and it is up to 13 degrees in night, male flowers grow more than female in number.' Talking to The Indian Express, Joint Director of Horticulture Department, Rajkot range in Saurashtra, R H Ladani said, 'After receiving forecasts of light showers and strong winds, we alerted mango growers in Saurashtra, who began harvesting early. About 80 per cent of mango is cultivated is Kesar and the rest are other varieties. We will also begin a crop damage survey soon.' Dashrat Desai, a 60-year-old mango farmer from Valsad, said, 'May marks the beginning of the mango harvesting season. I've been farming mangoes for 30 years, and this year's unseasonal weather, with strong winds, caused over 40 per cent of the fruit to fall before harvesting. I grow Alphonso and Kesar on 70 acres, with about 4,000 trees. I had invested heavily expecting a good yield. Now, those fallen mangoes are useless. Even pulp factories have slashed their rates from Rs 1,600 per ton to Rs 350-400 per ton.'
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Gujarat's mango produce faced a loss of up to 35% due to unseasonal rain
A sudden change in weather conditions has taken a toll on mango crops that were ready for harvest across the farms of South Gujarat and Saurashtra. The state government's horticulturists estimate a crop loss of up to 35 percent in the Alphonso and Kesar varieties grown in these regions. At the height of summer, thunderstorms accompanied by high-speed winds struck on Monday and Tuesday, causing pre-ripened fruit to fall from trees, leading to significant losses for mango farmers. Teams from the Gujarat horticulture department, in coordination with the agricultural department and gram sevaks, began a survey from Wednesday onwards to assess the damage caused by the unseasonal weather. On Wednesday, teams comprising agriculture department officials and gram sevaks at the village level began conducting surveys in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch. The survey is expected to take around five days, officials said. According to sources in the horticulture department, around 30 to 35 percent of the mango crop may have been damaged in South Gujarat. In South Gujarat, mangoes are mainly cultivated in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and parts of Bharuch. In Saurashtra, they are grown in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, and Amreli, with Kachchh's Kesar variety among the last to be harvested., Mango farming spans approximately one lakh hectares in South Gujarat and around 42,000 hectares in Saurashtra, according to the state horticulture department. Last year, yields in South Gujarat ranged from 4 to 4.25 tonnes per hectare, while in Saurashtra it was slightly higher. The unseasonal weather on Monday and Tuesday brought strong winds and light showers to several areas in South Gujarat – including Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, and Dangs — as well as parts of Saurashtra. Mango farmers in Saurashtra have already started harvesting fruit early to prevent further damage, say sources. Dinesh Paladiya, Joint Director of the Horticulture Department (Surat range), told The Indian Express, 'In South Gujarat, mango is cultivated on close to one lakh hectares—over 36,000 hectares in Valsad, 33,000 hectares in Navsari, 15,000 hectares in Surat, and the remaining in Bharuch district. The major variety is Kesar, accounting for around 60 percent, while Alphonso covers about 30 percent. Other varieties include Dasheri, Langda, Rajapuri, and Totapuri. Alphonso is primarily grown in Valsad. Over 70,000 farmers in South Gujarat are involved in mango cultivation, and Alphonso and other varieties from here are exported to Western countries.' He added, 'On Monday and Tuesday, due to high-speed winds and showers, mangoes that were ready for harvest fell to the ground. The damage assessment will be clearer after the survey. Harvesting had already begun in some areas and was expected to peak in mid-May. While production figures for this year are yet to be confirmed, we estimate losses of 30 to 35 percent due to the adverse weather.' Bhupendra Tandel, a research scientist at Aspee College of Horticulture under Navsari Agricultural University, said, 'Farmers in Navsari have reported an unusually high number of male flowers compared to female flowers in mango orchards this season. Experienced growers can spot the difference, but we conduct awareness programs for newer farmers. Male flowers do not bear fruit.' He continued, 'We also cultivate mangoes on our institutional farms. Due to Tuesday's high-speed winds, over 50 percent of the ready-to-harvest fruit fell from trees and were damaged. Traders can easily identify fallen fruit, and they usually refuse to buy it. Such fruit is only used to make mango pulp by processing units in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad.' Tandel noted, 'Mango fruit is highly sensitive to climate. When daytime temperatures exceed 34 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures drop to around 13 degrees Celsius, male flowers outnumber female flowers.' Speaking to The Indian Express, R H Ladani, Joint Director of the horticulture department (Rajkot range), said, 'After receiving forecasts of light showers and strong winds, we alerted mango growers in Saurashtra, who began harvesting early. About 80 percent of mango cultivation here is Kesar; the rest are other varieties. We will also begin a crop damage survey soon.' Dashrat Desai, a 60-year-old mango farmer from Valsad, said, 'May marks the start of mango harvesting. I've been farming mangoes for 30 years, and this year's unseasonal weather, with strong winds, caused over 40 percent of the fruit to fall before harvesting. I grow Alphonso and Kesar on 70 acres, with about 4,000 trees. I had invested heavily expecting a good yield. Now, those fallen mangoes are useless. Even pulp factories have slashed their rates from Rs 1,600 per ton to Rs 350-400 per ton.'
