MARGAO
It’s official. As the State is witnessing an unusual delay in the harvesting of the king of mangoes Mankurad, the Agriculture Department has asked the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to conduct a study to find out the delay in the ripening of the mouthwatering mango this season.
As questions are being raised over the delay in the harvesting of Mankurad, whether due to any climate change or otherwise, Agriculture Director Neville Alphonso has said the Agriculture Department has sent a request to the ICAR, Goa, to study the unusual pattern and the reasons behind the delay.
When The Goan contacted the Agriculture Director to shed light on the delay in the harvesting of Mankurad this season with just few days left for curtains to come down on the mango season, Neville said it could be due to a host of factors. “Preliminary inquiries by the Agriculture Department have revealed that the delay in the natural ripening of the mango could be because of the heat wave that hit the State in the month of March. It is suspected that the extreme hot conditions must have affected the pollination. But, since we are witnessing an unusual situation this year, the Agriculture Department has asked the ICAR to do a study on the situation,” he said.
He added, “Inputs received by the Agriculture Department has revealed that Munkarad is still raw thus leaving the farmers with no option than to delay the harvesting. We now expect harvesting to take place anytime from now.”
Many a farmer in particular and citizens in general have pointed out that though they have partly harvested the Mankurad from their gardens, the fruit is not ripe enough for consumption. Others have pointed out that size of Mankurad has shrunk this season for reasons unknown.
Says Dr Levinson Martins, Managing Director, Goa Waste Management Corporation: “I had harvested Mankurad from my garden some days ago, but the mango is still raw. This is the first time we have come across this unusual situation.
A family from Aquem-Margao pointed out that though their Mankurad mango tree is playing host to dozens of raw mangoes, they could not harvest the fruit since it is still raw. “We have harvested some mangoes in order to send them to my daughter in Bahrain. But, we keep our fingers crossed whether the King of Mangoes would retain the unique taste since it is still raw,” she added.
A visit to the Margao wholesale market has revealed that Mankurad is not available in abundance as a result of the price has refused to come down till date. In fact, a dozen of Mankurad is available in the retail market in the range of Rs 800-1000.
A mango wholesaler has pointed out that inputs from the farmers have revealed that mankurad will soon hit the market since the King of Mango is not still harvested in a big way. “We are also awaiting the Mankurad to flood the market. The prices of Mankurad has not come down since the supply has not kept pace with the rising demand,” the wholesaler remarked.
