Image Credit source: PTI
Before Corona, 500 tonnes of saffron mangoes used to be exported from here every year. This time the season of saffron mango is in its final stage and only 20 tonnes have been exported. Thousands of families dependent on mangoes are in trouble due to the fall in production.
Kesar Mango of Gujarat (Kesar Mango) is famous all over the world. There is a huge demand every year from many countries of the world like America and Britain. By this farmers (Farmers) gets good income, but this time there has been a decline of about 70 percent in production. Farmers are not able to meet their cost and are also unable to meet the expenditure on the maintenance of trees. This is the reason that a large number of farmers have cut down the trees in the orchard and now there is vegetable cultivation.Vegetable Farming) are doing. Farmers say that everything was going well, but the situation changed due to Corona and Cyclone Takte. This year we expected a change in the situation, but this time we have been forced to bear more losses.
Gir Somnath district of Gujarat is the stronghold of saffron mango. The saffron mango here has also got GI tag. Thousands of families have been dependent on mango orchards for their livelihood for years. But this year everyone is upset. Agricultural scientists say that due to climate change, there has been a 70 percent decline in mango production in this region. Local BJP leader and president of Talala Sardar Patel Aam Mandi told The Hindu that we had requested the state government to send a team of experts to study why the production has come down so much. However, he said that no decision has been taken on this yet.
This year only 20 tonnes have been exported
Earlier, 12 to 13 lakh mango boxes were bought and sold every year in this market. This year the season is about to end and so far only 3 lakh boxes have reached the market. A box contains 10.5 kg of mangoes. There are a total of 1.5 million saffron mango trees in this area in 10,000 hectares. The secretary of the mandi told that we used to export 500 tonnes of mangoes every year from the mandi. Exports were affected in 2020-21 due to COVID and Cyclone, but this time only 20 tonnes have been exported.
Farmers say that there is a lot of expenditure in the maintenance of mango orchards. It costs us Rs 70,000 to take care of a one hectare orchard. Earlier exports were affected and this time production has come down. This is the reason why the farmers of Gir Somnath district are harvesting the mango tree in the orchard. A farmer told that I have cut all the trees and now am doing vegetable cultivation in their place. To compensate for the loss, many farmers of the district are doing this.
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