TRICHY: While some people are indulging in ripening mangoes usingharmful chemicals, there are some farmers in the district who are engaging in the natural process. However, the drought due to no rain has hit them badly.
Mango cultivation has been on in around 1,000 acres in areas like Lalgudi, Pullambadi, Kollidam, Anbil, Srirangam and Melur, which supply the produce to the locals market and also other places. However, added to the drought indiscriminate sand mining in the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers have depleted the ground water level resulting in water scarcity for the mango trees.
K V Ganesan, a farmer in Koohoor village attributed the drought to thepoor yield of mangoes. "The mango yield is not favourable for thefarmers because the ground water level has depleted. Those who have wells and electric motors are able to save the trees. Rest of them are helpless. Besides the lack of rains, indiscriminate sand mining has also played spoilsport. It is a bad sign for mango cultivation which may gradually disappear from the area due to water scarcity," said Ganesan.
The poor yield resulted in the increase of the mango price manifold and delayed the season. This year, the size of mangoes is small. Nevertheless, some of the farmers still use natural method to ripen them. The paddy straws are utilized for the process. Normally, most of the mango fruittraders prefer to ripen the mangoes quickly using 'carbide stones' because they have no time to wait up to six days.
P Balasubramanian, a farm owner at Vadaseri in Karur who ripens the mango through naturalmethod said the health of the people is paramount than the income. "Farmers and traders must be concerned about the health of the people. Though there is a loss in natural method, the health of the people should not be put at risk," Balasubramanian said.
A Ramakrishnan, designated officer of the food safety wing in Trichy said that law does not permit them to certify the naturally-ripened mangoes. "There is no provision to certify the naturally-ripened mangoes. We are not sure whether we will be empowered to do so in future. If it is so, it would give a boost to the followers of the natural methods," Ramakrishan said.
K V Ganesan, a farmer in Koohoor village attributed the drought to thepoor yield of mangoes. "The mango yield is not favourable for thefarmers because the ground water level has depleted. Those who have wells and electric motors are able to save the trees. Rest of them are helpless. Besides the lack of rains, indiscriminate sand mining has also played spoilsport. It is a bad sign for mango cultivation which may gradually disappear from the area due to water scarcity," said Ganesan.
The poor yield resulted in the increase of the mango price manifold and delayed the season. This year, the size of mangoes is small. Nevertheless, some of the farmers still use natural method to ripen them. The paddy straws are utilized for the process. Normally, most of the mango fruittraders prefer to ripen the mangoes quickly using 'carbide stones' because they have no time to wait up to six days.
P Balasubramanian, a farm owner at Vadaseri in Karur who ripens the mango through naturalmethod said the health of the people is paramount than the income. "Farmers and traders must be concerned about the health of the people. Though there is a loss in natural method, the health of the people should not be put at risk," Balasubramanian said.
A Ramakrishnan, designated officer of the food safety wing in Trichy said that law does not permit them to certify the naturally-ripened mangoes. "There is no provision to certify the naturally-ripened mangoes. We are not sure whether we will be empowered to do so in future. If it is so, it would give a boost to the followers of the natural methods," Ramakrishan said.
Research based natural ripening process, ethion spraying technologies should be taken to the level of farmers and merchants in a big way in the interest of consumers.
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