Delayed flowering cycle worries mango growers in Chittoor

Mango cultivation successful the erstwhile Chittoor territory is undergoing a heavy situation successful 2026, arsenic delayed flowering, shrinking acreage, and the after-effects of past year’s marketplace illness endanger the crop’s viability. Following the trifurcation of the territory into Chittoor, Tirupati and Annamayya, the country nether mango cultivation has declined sharply, eroding the region’s long-standing dominance successful the crop’s production.

For decades, orchards crossed the undivided territory would outpouring to beingness from November onwards. Mango cultivated implicit much than 1 lakh hectares was regarded arsenic the “King of Commercial Crops” for its quality to withstand climatic accent portion ensuring minimum assured returns. That assurance has steadily weakened.

A cardinal interest this play has been the terrible hold successful flowering, which present lags down the mean docket by astir 2 months. Raw mangoes usually scope markets by Ugadi, which volition beryllium celebrated successful March, for the mentation of ‘Mamidi Pachhadi’, a festive staple. Officials assertion that aboriginal arrivals would beryllium improbable this year.

Field officials of the Horticulture section property the adverse conditions to unseasonal rains successful the eastbound broadside of the district, and prolonged wintertime conditions and erratic somesthesia fluctuations successful the occidental mandals. This disrupted the flowering cycle. Delayed flowering would mostly output acceptable results, conscionable similar successful 2025. However, during the pre-COVID-19 season, the territory suffered a jolt with harvest failures, pursuing anemic and uneven flowering, arsenic good arsenic mediocre effect retention.

Few mango growers are anxious considering the acquisition they had successful 2025. The twelvemonth witnessed much than 80 per cent of production, an antithetic phenomenon, triggering a terrible terms crash. Market rates plunged to ₹3 per kg oregon lower, pushing growers into distress. At the past minute, the State authorities had to intervene to assistance stabilise the situation, with prices supported astatine ₹4 per kg, coupled with a ₹4 per kg subsidy to farmers. However, the growers proceed to deplore that the alleviation was inadequate offset rising input costs.

“With the gradual shrinking of mango cultivation lands and adverse conditions impacting the regular flowering cycle, measurement is nary longer connected our side,” said Chittibabu, a mango grower successful GD Nellore adjacent Chittoor. Officials assertion that yields successful 2026 whitethorn autumn good beneath six tonnes per hectare, compared to the earlier projection of 8 tonnes.