The truant south west monsoon and the delayed yet abundant north east monsoon may have finally given mango and cashew farmers as well as traders of the three North Coastal Districts of Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam finally something to smile about.
With last year's monsoon conditions favouring cashew and mango crops in the region, they are hoping to reap a bumper harvest this year. While the mango crop has already gone past the flowering stage, with tiny fruit now visible in most places, the cashew plantations too have come good with most flowering profusely.
Mango and cashew plantations in the three districts account for more than 1.5 lakh hectares and a bumper crop on such a scale would also mean a breather for the consumer, who has been battling rising prices. According to sources, while the average yield per annum in the region is 10 lakh tonnes per annum of mango and 30,000 tonnes of cashew (raw product including the kernel), this year the yield could be higher by 20-40% depending on the local conditions.
Korada Appala Naidu, a trader who has taken a 100-acre farm on lease in Makkavaripalem Mandal, grudgingly admitted, "The prospects look good. However, for me to reap a bumper crop, I will have to keep my fingers crossed for anything going wrong locally. What if there is a hail storm or the temperatures suddenly shoot up. Till I get the crop in my hands I will not comment any more."
In the case of mango, K Viswanatha Rao, a practicing horticulturist from Bapatla said, "This time we should have mango hitting the stalls by the end of April. Even varieties like Banaganapalli, that are late bloomers, are already in full bloom. This will definitely auger well for both the consumer as well as the farmer."
He further added that the lack of high temperatures, combined with optimum humidity, ensured healthy flowering and said that the chances of the bloom withering in the heat would be very slim as by then the trees would be fruiting.
Speaking on the reasons for the potentially good crop this year, G Prabhakar Rao, assistant director, horticulture department, Visakhapatnam, said, "One of the reasons the crop has come good is that in the case of cashew there have been two dry spells, one before the wet phase and one after. More importantly, the temperatures so far have been mild. Usually, on the east coast, the temperatures touch 35 degrees Celsius by this time of the year. But this has not been the case on the coastal belt this year. This factor, coupled with enough humidity will ensure good nut growth inside the kernel. We are definitely looking forward to a good cashew crop." On the mango front, he said the high moisture in the soil was mainly responsible for the mango blossom, while the lack of fog had helped things.
When asked if the heavy inundation caused by recent cyclones had caused any major damage to the cashew crop, sources in the horticulture department said. "One of the main reasons why cashew cannot be damaged easily is because it is a tree that cannot be completed uprooted. More importantly, cashew and mango plantations are found in drier, upland areas on the east coast where most of the water is either drained out or sucked into the underground aquifers. In such a scenario it is not easy for long-term damage to happen to cashew plantations."
However, many of the farmers have been left high and dry as it is mainly the wholesale merchants that are slated to take home all the moolah this year as they gave their farms on lease to the traders at lower rates because of the terrible crop in 2013.
Challa Pydi Naidu, of Kasimkota Mandal, who leased out his 3-acre mixed cashew and mango plantation said, "I leased out my garden for a pittance at Rs 12,000. The merchant will take away all the profits this time. I had to cut down on my price this year as the merchant suffered losses last year. Both ways, the farmer loses as he never gets a chance to make a profit."
Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
