While the 2019 mango season was delayed by a month, this year it arrived a month early. Mango growers and traders are looking forward to the season.

The region’s mangoes will be ready for harvest in next 45 days. Mango sheds for export open in Muthalamada by second week of December. As the mango variety that ripens first in the country, the Muthalamada mango has high demand in Delhi, Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The mangoes produced in February and March fetched a good price. However, the prices dropped after COVID restrictions were imposed. Revenues dropped to Rs 2 billion from the Rs 5 billion last season, said Palakkad Mango Valley Growers Producers Company chairman M. Thajudheen.

Around 70,000 tonnes of mango is produced in an year in Muthalamada. But this decreased to 35,000 tonnes last year. 18,000 tonnes of mango was sent to other states and 2000 tonnes was exported to foreign countries. Though goods movement was affected due to COVID, 15,000 tonnes of mango was sold within the state.

However, the good sales did not benefit the growers due to price drop. Mango tree is cultivated in about 3500 hectares of land in Muthalamada. There are over 2500 growers, 1,000 merchants and 10,000 farm workers in the mango orchards here.

[ Rs 100 = €1.20 ]