Mango covers in demand as Kadapa farmers expect decent yield

With the flowering play coming to an extremity and the pea-sized fruits mounting in, mango farmers are getting a real-time estimation of the imaginable yield.

The large threats to mangoes are identified arsenic the fruit-borers and fungal diseases, and arsenic specified the effect covers are expected to enactment arsenic a shield.

The Kadapa territory medication has taken up measures to halve imaginable losses to farmers. The territory has 1,500 hectares nether orchards, with mango being the large horticultural crop.

Farmers not lone saw a dip successful output past year, but besides witnessed fruit-borers piercing done the mangoes and rendering them unusable. On the different hand, the dispersed of fungal diseases led to stunted maturation of effect and besides caused achromatic patches.

Mango growers who resorted to spraying pesticides for much than 10 times ended up draining their fiscal resources, but could not curtail the dispersed of fungus.

Cheaper alternative

Horticultural officials suggest the usage of mango covers arsenic a cheaper alternate arsenic it acts arsenic a sheath to support the fruits from flies, fruit-borers and different outer threats.

One hectre requires 15,000 effect covers (each costing ₹2). As the covers are provided astatine 50% subsidy, the farmers incur ₹30,000 initially, but the authorities deposits ₹15,000 backmost into the farmer’s account. A husbandman gets enactment for a maximum of 2 hectares.

“The trees successful my 15-acre workplace are steadfast owed to the covers and I expect them to travel to fruition successful 3 weeks”, says K. Subbarayudu, a husbandman of Gopavaram village, who has utilised the covers for 60% of the trees.

“The authorities is committed to making Rayalaseema a horticultural hub, we are leaving nary chromatic unturned to supply subsidies to farmers and besides ensuring safeguards to the yield. It is simply a invited motion that the farmers of Kadapa territory are adopting modern practices, and we are each acceptable to lend a helping manus to them,” said District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri.

Farmers tin interaction their respective divisional horticultural officers astatine 79950 86975 (Kadapa), 79950 86979 (Badvel), Porumamilla (79950 86977), Pulivendula (79950 86982), Muddanur (79950 86976) and Mydukur (79950 86987).