Chittoor Mango Farmers Suffer Heavy Losses After Strong Winds Destroy Crop

• Chittoor mango crop damaged by strong winds
• Mango farmers struggle with low market prices
• Farmers demand compensation from government

Mango farmers across Chittoor district have been left devastated after powerful winds and sudden weather changes caused massive damage to mango orchards just days before the start of the harvesting season.

Farmers who had protected their crops for months with hopes of securing better market prices are now staring at huge financial losses. Large quantities of mangoes fell from trees due to strong winds that swept through several mandals in the district on Tuesday.

By Wednesday morning, orchard owners who visited their farms found mangoes scattered across the ground in large numbers. According to local estimates, nearly 30 percent of the season’s mango crop was damaged within a single day due to the unexpected weather conditions.

The damage was reported from several areas including Thavanampalle, Irala, Yadamari, Bangarupalyam, VKota, Palamaner, Puthalapattu, Penumuru, Karvetinagaram and G D Nellore mandals where heavy winds affected hundreds of acres of mango plantations.

Many farmers hired labourers to collect the fallen mangoes and transported them to nearby market yards hoping to recover at least part of their investment. However, traders reportedly offered shockingly low prices for the damaged produce.

Farmers said traders were willing to purchase selected quality mangoes for only two rupees per kilogram while the remaining fallen fruit was being offered at just one rupee per kilogram. Several growers said the transportation and labour costs alone were higher than the money they received from selling the produce.

Some farmers expressed frustration that leaving the fallen mangoes inside the orchards would have caused less financial burden than spending money on labour and tractor transport to market yards. The situation has pushed many growers into distress as they fear they may not even recover their cultivation expenses this season.

Mango farmers are now demanding immediate support from the government. They urged authorities to conduct crop loss surveys at the earliest and provide compensation to affected growers. Farmers are also requesting the government to announce a support price for fallen mangoes and purchase the damaged produce directly to reduce their losses.

With the mango season just weeks away, the unexpected destruction has dealt a major blow to farmers who had pinned their hopes on a profitable harvest this year.