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Banaganapalle mango yield falls
Banaganapalle mango is one of the finest fruit varieties that everyone wants to taste for its lusciousness. In earlier days most of the people from Arab countries and Nawabs used to import it. The king of fruits was having a great craze among the people but now the fruit is losing its glory with fewer yields with every passing year.
middlemen mafia controls production and supply
Kurnool: Banaganapalle mango is one of the finest fruit varieties that everyone wants to taste for its lusciousness. In earlier days most of the people from Arab countries and Nawabs used to import it. The king of fruits was having a great craze among the people but now the fruit is losing its glory with fewer yields with every passing year.
Highlights:
- In Kurnool district, the mango crops are being raised in an extent of 9,000 hectares
- This mango variety is now being raised in 600 hectares compared to 2000 hectares earlier
- The fruit is controlled by middlemen which forces the farmers to auction their orchards before the onset of flowering
The Nawabs of Banaganapalle in Kurnool district introduced the mango variety centuries ago which spread to every nook and corner of the nation. It is famous for its mangoes, commonly called 'Banaganapalle variety' and even has a cultivator, Banaganapalle, named after it. Between 1790 and 1948, Banaganapalle was the capital of a princely state of the same name. This mango is also known as ‘Benishan’ in other areas and ‘Laddupasand’ in local area. The fruit used to be grown in the rain-fed areas that contain more sugar with longer shelf life.
Banaganapalle mango, the king of all fruits, is likely to get Geographical Indication as the directorate of horticulture and the State Horticulture University have embarked upon the exercise. An un-spoilt obliquely oval specimen presents an unblemished golden yellow thin edible skin. These mangoes are large sized, weighing on an average of 400 grams to 900 grams. The pulp is fibreless, firm and yellow with sweet taste.
This mango variety is cultivated in Kurnool, Krishna, West Godavari and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Khammam, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Medak districts of Telangana state. In Kurnool district, the mango crops are being raised in an extent of 9,000 hectares, of them the Banaganapalle mangos occupy the major area of 2000 hectares. In course of time the cultivation extent of this variety has declined to 600 hectares in the district.
Poor arrivals of mango this season has caused a setback in the sales of the fruit and dealers have lost their hopes of prospects of any improvement in the yield. The main problem behind the poor arrivals as told by the mango cultivators is off-season rains that have declined in mango production. Due to the heavy shortage in the mango production, the prices of Banaganapalle mango have gone up like anything. One has to spend at least Rs.70 to Rs.80 to taste a mango.
Despite the popularity of the fruit and high demand in the market, farmers of Banaganapalle mango are not happy because of steep fluctuations in prices. The fruit is controlled by middlemen which forces the farmers to auction their orchards before the onset of flowering.
As per the district horticulture department, this mango variety is now being raised in very less extent of 600 hectares compared to 2000 hectares earlier. This dire situation has taken place because its maintenance expenditure is very high compared to other mango varieties. And the main problem is the farmers are facing is water scarcity as the water levels in the ground have touched bottom deep. Moreover the farmers are not ready to bear continuous losses by taking up the Banaganapalle variety.
An official from the department, Sultan, said that he once cultivated the variety in his four acres of land and had reaped bitter experience. Now the four acres crop has been reduced to one acre stated the officer. A farmer of RS Rangapuram village said plentiful rains have evaded the region for the past three years due to which the cultivation of Banaganapalle variety was abandoned. Moreover the high temperatures that are being recorded are also damaging the crops.
In place of Banaganapalle variety we are cultivating other crops which give good results by sustaining the adverse atmosphere, he stated. There is no fun in raising the Banaganapalle variety any further as there is no encouragement from the government. If the government provides good compensation, free market facility and minimum support price then the crop could be raised stated another farmer Kurva Ramudu of Embai village. He urged the government to support the mango cultivators by extending relevant inputs on rearing the mango crop.
