Mango growers from M’wada seek financial aid from govt

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Mango Growers Association in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has submitted a memorandum to state govt demanding compensation for mango cultivators from Marathwada affected due to unseasonal rainfall this summer.Advocate Vasant Deshmukh, joint secretary of the association, said state govt has announced compensation of Rs22,000 per hectare for mango and cashew farmers from Konkan affected by bad weather, but no such relief has been considered for Marathwada."Regrettably, our political representatives have remained indifferent to this issue concerning our region. Due to frequent and unpredictable climatic changes, mango farmers are suffering significant financial losses this year likewise in the recent past," he said.As per the association, eight districts of Marathwada produce over 80,000 tonnes of mangoes with a considerable chunk of fruits getting affected due to multiple spells of unseasonal rains and hailstorm."Over the past few years — particularly in the Marathwada region — extensive cultivation of Kesar mangoes has been undertaken, driven by supportive govt policies and the diligent efforts of farmers. Furthermore, the market prices received for the produce have been satisfactory. The inclement weather, however, is ruining the prospects of farmers," Deshmukh said.Marathwada this summer has recorded at least three episodes of unseasonal rainfall in March and April, inflicting damage to mango trees and orchards at large.When contacted, authorities from the state agriculture department said state govt has to take a policy decision in matters related to losses suffered by mango growers from Marathwada. State Agriculture minister, Dattatray Bharne could not be reached for his comments.Established in 1998, the Mango Growers Association (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) successfully secured the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the ‘Kesar' mango variety and is also engaged in various activities related to Kesar mango cultivation, processing, quality production, marketing and export.