by Vishwa Kundapura
Mango yield in the State is likely to witness a drop as cultivators are felling trees that are withering owing to scanty rain and humidity.
All the five taluks in Kolar district have been declared drought-hit and mangoes are among the major crops affected by the situation that has been prevailing for six years.
One of the prominent horticulture crop, Mango is cultivated on 48,824 hectares in the district. Srinivasapur is the largest mango-growing region in the State gaining the sobriquet ‘Mango Barn of Karnataka’. The district’s average annual mango production is around five lakh tonnes.
However, the crop which provided livelihood to thousands as well generated jobs for at least three months in a year, is no longer a sweet affair.
Mango cultivation has become sour for farmers as the trees are withering. A study by a technical committee identified that mango crop on about 4,500 hectares of land was damaged. Among them, trees on about 390 hectares had been felled by the farmers for use as firewood and in brick kilns. The loss is huge in Srinivasapur taluk, estimated at around 3,550 hectares so far. The figures are likely to go up when the study is over.
Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department M.R. Chandrashekhar told The Hindu on Tuesday that the study will be completed in a week. The exact picture will be known only once it’s completed, he said. A report will be submitted to the government shortly, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Mango trees yield good harvest on an average of 30 to 50 years if nurtured properly, says V. Nachegowda, Dean, College of Horticulture, Kolar. However, lack of groundwater as well as humidity in atmosphere has an adverse affect on the trees in the region, he explained. “It is difficult to revive the trees once they start withering and that is why the farmers resort to cutting them down,” Mr. Nachegowda said.
P.R. Suryanarayan, leader of the Mango Growers’ Welfare Association, demanded the government come to the rescue of mango cultivators.
Source: The Hindu