Money
Mango prices soar as production falls
Mango prices have soared as storms and hailstone have reduced production of the fruit in Kanchanpur this year. According to commercial mango farmers in Kanchanpur, the production of the fruit has also been affected due to lack of regular chemical fertiliser usage and water.Bhawani Bhatta
Mango prices have soared as storms and hailstone have reduced production of the fruit in Kanchanpur this year. According to commercial mango farmers in Kanchanpur, the production of the fruit has also been affected due to lack of regular chemical fertiliser usage and water.
The aberrant weather in the form of storms and hailstone destroyed many mango trees just before harvest. Hikmat Bahadur Singha, a mango farmer of Bhimdutta municipality-7 who cultivated mango on five katthas of land said that mango production has fallen compared to last year.
Sagar Dhakal, senior agriculture development officer said that local production has not been able to fulfill half of the market demand and they are compelled to be dependent on Indian import even with the mango season in full bloom.
This has caused the price mangoes which used to cost Rs20-25 per kg to hit Rs40-50 per kg. According to traders, mangoes imported from India account for more than half of the supply in the market.
Indian mangoes are readily available in markets of Mahendranagar and nearby areas. The mango imported from India uses pesticides which is not good, health wise. Locals said the sale of mangoes laced with hazardous chemicals has been increasing due to lack of regular market inspections.
According to the statistics of District Agriculture Office, mango farming is done in 140 hectares of land in Kanchanpur with a production output of three to eight metric tonnes per hectare. The office is looking to boost mango production in the district with local level policies and programmes such as ‘one home, one tree’ and ‘one village one garden’.
These measures according to Dhakal are aimed at attracting farmers towards commercial farming of mango in the district. “Just planting one or two mango trees will not be enough to fulfill the demand, we need more commercial mango farms,” said Dhakal.