There is some bad news for mango lovers. The production of Alphonso mangoes, the king among the fruits, is likely to fall short by 80-85 per cent this season, making Alphonso mangoes much more costly for the consumers.
Senior Maharashtra minister and guardian minister of Sindhudurg district Nitesh Narayan Rane told THE WEEK that due to environmental changes, the Alphonso mango crop has been very badly affected in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, the two districts known for Alphonso mango orchards.
" The crisis is worse this year. This kind of situation has not been seen in the last 50 years. If an orchard owner was producing 600 boxes of Alphonso mangoes, this year he will be able to produce just about 50 due to weather-related conditions," Rane told THE WEEK.
He further said collectors of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri have sent detailed reports to the government, and the state cabinet is likely to discuss the issue in a couple of days.
A report prepared by the state agriculture department and Balasaheb Sawant Koknkan Agriculture University said environmental conditions due to climate change, like the cold wave in December, affected pollination, which resulted in damage at the flowering stage. Due to cloudy conditions, humidity affected the flowering stage. This will result in production of Alphonso mangoes falling by up to 85 per cent of average production.
In 2025, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts produced 2,50,000 tonnes of Alphonso mangoes. This year, this production will be drastically low, pushing the price much higher.
Farmers' leader and former MP Raju Shetty had conducted an agitation of farmers in Sindhudurg district, urging the government to look into the grievances of mango growers.
He had demanded RS five lakh per hectare for the mango growers.
