Wait for mangoes to be longer this year, thanks to heat

The king of fruits may hit the markets in Karnataka later than expected this year. While the delay has been attributed to late flowering in some districts, mangoes from Kolar are proving to be an exception, witnessing brisk sales in Bengaluru and nearby districts.

Mango season in the state generally falls between the first fortnight of April and the end of June.

C G Nagaraju, Managing Director of the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL), attributes the delay in flowering to extreme heat in the month of January, during which flowering begins.

"This year, flowering began only in February in many places, including Ramanagara, which is one of the first districts to get mangoes," he said. Mangoes are primarily grown in Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Doddaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Dharwad and Haveri districts.

"Mango requires a certain stress in weather — extreme cold and extreme heat — a mixture of both is ideal for flowering. But January was comparatively hotter without the extreme cold temperatures even in South Interior Karnataka, which produces up to 60% of Karnataka’s mangoes,” he added.

He noted that it takes at least 110 to 145 days for the flowers to grow into the fruit. However, he noted: “There are chances that mangoes will be in surplus by the end of April and beginning of May this year due to delayed flowering.”

Better yield despite heat

Nagaraju highlighted that while the rising heat may affect the yield and cause pre-harvest fruit drop, the quality and gross production of mangoes in Karnataka are going to be on the higher side this year. "Mangoes are sensitive to slight changes in the weather," he said.

"Last year, we depended on imports from Tamil Nadu, as we produced only six to seven lakh metric tonnes of mangoes in the state. But, this year, we are expecting it to go up to 10 lakh metric tonnes,” he said, adding that pest attacks and diseases are little to nil in many districts this year.

The highest yield in Karnataka has been 12-15 lakh metric tonnes, according to Nagaraju.

Kolar mangoes are selling fast

Bhaskar Reddy, a mango grower from Kolar, said orders are already being placed online on a platform created by mango growers in the district. He said that orders placed by Bengalureans would be delivered by India Post. “On April 3, we will bring the ordered mangoes to Bengaluru GPO and they will deliver it to corresponding addresses,” he said. He also noted that the Postal Department is also collaborating with mango growers in Mysuru and Mangaluru.