Mango, the king of fruits, is very much a favourite among Bangaloreans and there is a great demand for the fruit in various markets across the City. But, Bangalore Urban District seems to be no longer interested in growing it. Statistics show that precious mango farms are vanishing at such a fast pace that Bangalore may end up with zero production of mangoes within the next decade.
Bangalore Urban district which now has half the number of mango groves it had a decade ago, is losing about 200 hectares of mango growing area every year. While mango groves are now history in the most residential areas of Bangalore City, the groves, scarcely found at its outskirts, are also set to do the disappearing act.
Horticulture Director (Fruits) S V Hithalamani told Metrolife, “Presently, the mango growing area in the district is 1,738 ha and the estimated production from about 800 to 1,000 mango groves in this area is 22,711 tonnes. Compared to this, Bangalore Rural has 20,309 ha of mango growing area yielding about 2,18,335 tonnes of mangoes, almost ten times more than its urban counterpart.”
Hithalamani said there used to be large mango groves in places like Bommasandra (where Bommanahalli Industrial Area is situated), Attibele, Chandapura, Madivala, Yelahanka, Tavarekere, Magadi Road, Banashankari, Whitefield, only about 10-15 years ago. “The area called Mavalli, meaning Mavina Halli (mango village), adjacent to Lalbagh, used to house thousands of mango trees in numerous orchards. But now, not even a single orchard is seen,’’ he rued. 
The reason, he felt, was rapid urbanisation. “After 1994, mango groves gradually gave way for the concrete jungle. They were either acquired or voluntarily sold out to form BDA layouts, private layouts, KIADB industrial areas, roads, schools and resorts.

Threat to groves
There is a threat to the existing groves in semi-urban areas as they are also getting urbanised in a fast pace. Many farmers themselves are not interested in developing farms and are selling off lands to the real estate groups,’’ he explained.
On the other hand, mango farming has grown profitable over the years, more so, because of the growing impetus to exports. Other regions of the State, including Bangalore Rural, are cashing in on this with never-before enthusiasm, but, Bangalore Urban, which has a congenial climate, seems disinterested,’’ said Hithalamani.
It is also heading towards a major loss in farming sector revenue. The main varieties grown in the district are those in great demand — Badami (Alphonso), Mallika, Raspuri, Neelam, Totapuri, Banganpalli and Malgova.
Assuming an average price as low as Rs 15,000 per ton, with present available lands the district can earn more than Rs 34 crore (p.a).
But thanks to over-emphasis on urbanisation, the natural potential of Bangalore is heading for extinction. Can there be a sweet turnaround for the king of fruits?