Mango crisis: Need robust post-harvest ecosystem in K'taka

A sharp decline in market prices has pushed mango growers in the state into dire straits.

- Ramu Patil Assistant Resident Editor

The crisis worsens with every passing day as they are unable to recover even the input costs. While their patience is wearing thin, the state government is approaching the Centre for compensation. It is unclear how things will pan out in the coming days.

In Karnataka, mango is one of the major horticultural crops, cultivated on approximately 1.39 lakh hectares. Supply chain disruptions have impacted the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers across several districts. A combination of factors—heavy rains impacting fruit quality, pest infestations, increased input costs, insufficient processing units, and restrictions imposed by Andhra Pradesh on the movement of mangoes—seems to have contributed to the current crisis.

This is not the first time that mango growers have faced such a situation. In 2018, farmers in Kolar district—which grows around 10 lakh tonnes on 50,000 hectares—faced a similar plight. Unfortunately, that did not wake up the authorities to take long-term measures to develop enough processing units.