Keonjhar: Mango farmers in this district are a worried lot. The production of the King of Fruits has reportedly nosedived this year due to unfavourable weather conditions and whatever the farmers could harvest, they are forced to sell at throwaway prices.
One reason for the distress sale is lack of local marketing facilities which has encouraged traders from outside the district to buy mangoes at cheaper prices and sell them at a high price in markets (about Rs 60 per kg).
Traders are now buying mangoes in Telkoi, Keonjhar, Ghatagaon, Jhumpura and Harichandanpur blocks. This year, mango farmers are unable to earn a decent profit unlike in previous years because of these twin reasons.
High-yielding varieties of mangoes are grown in remote tribal pockets of these blocks. The varieties are: Khira Sagar, Hema Sagar, Dosari, Amrapalli, Lengda, Lat Sundari and Neelam.
Traders are buying truckloads of mangoes from these areas every day for Rs 20 to Rs 30 a kg. Many farmers alleged that the traders are able to cash in on the current situation as the district administration has not taken any step to provide marketing facilities for the local produce and failed to put curbs on the traders.
In most cases, farmers fearing hailstorms and heavy rains are hurriedly selling their mangoes at lower prices in some areas.
Delhi-based Mother Dairy has tried to procure mangoes from Keonjhar, but retuned empty handed due to alleged non-cooperation of the administration.
Usually, good varieties of mangoes from Keonjhar are supplied to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, apart from Rourkela, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
A major problem the farmers in Keonjhar face is the lack of cold storage facilities. The farmers could preserve their produce till they get the right price if the district had cold storages.
Many farmers and experts believe there is an immediate need to set up cold storages in the district as such facilities will give a boost to food processing industries. The district produces substantial quantities of a variety of fruits with which jams, jellies and pickles could be made.
“Food processing industry will also create scope for employment in the area while fruit farmers will get the right price for their produce,” agriculture expert Janardan Giri of Gopalpur said.
