Why farmers in Telangana’s Jagtial did not pluck mangoes in the last cycle?

Some farmers in Jagtial of Telangana did not pluck the mangoes after May late as a lot of the fruits were damaged by fruit flies — whose numbers increase when it rains. Monsoon this year has set in the State early – on May 26 against the usual date of June 10. This has spoiled the last cycle of the fruit harvest. The money needed to harvest and sell the fruits would only lead to losses. 

Labour cost at least ₹2,000 to harvest one tonne

Mitapally Prathap Reddy, who has 18 acres of mango farm in Korutla left around five tonnes unplucked. He said that if they want to hire people to harvest the fruits, men take ₹800 per day and women take ₹400. At least two men and a woman are needed to harvest one tonne of mangoes; men pluck mangoes and women keep them upside down for a while so that sap does not stick to the fruit and later pack them. The labour cost to harvest one tonne of mangoes is ₹2,000 at least. Later, transportation charges have to be paid to send the package to markets. 

Did not even get ₹10,000 per tonne

While an average of ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 is given for a tonne of mangoes. After the rains, we did not even get ₹10,000, said Mr. Prathap Reddy. The farmer said that fruit flies damaged the last cycle of the crop. He said that rains before the monsoon dented their profits.

Mr. Prathap Reddy, who leased his farm, said that when the lessee transported eight tonnes to a market in Nagpur, Maharashtra, in two trucks, a truck trip cost him ₹12,000. To harvest eight tonnes, at least ₹16,000 had to be spent. “He could barely recover the money invested on the harvest and transportation of the eight tonnes. So, we did not harvest the mangoes at the end of May,” said Mr. Prathap Reddy. 

Another farmer, Kasireddy Jalandhar Reddy from Rampur village said that they harvest mangoes when the fruit weighs around 250 grams. If a mango is not of the weight, they wait to harvest it in the next cycle. This way, they pluck mangoes in three of four cycles or more. Mr. Jalandhar Reddy said that he has left nearly four tonnes of mangoes unplucked. 

Jagtial Horticulture and Sericulture officer G. Shyam Prasad said that around 15 to 20% of farmers waited to harvest the mangoes even after it rained. The rest plucked even when the mangoes were raw despite knowing they will not get a good price. He said that either way, farmers faced losses.

Why fruit flies get attracted to mangoes when it rains?

Senior scientist and head of Fruit Research Centre in Sangareddy, V. Suchithra said that rainy season offers ideal environmental conditions — high humidity, moist soil, and moderate temperatures ranging from 24–32 °C — which support the rapid development of fruit fly eggs, larvae, and pupae. Alongside this, the increased availability of ripening or damaged fruits during the monsoon encourages a surge in population, with peak infestations typically occurring in June in South India and July in North India.

“Rain also softens the fruit skin, making it more conducive for egg laying, thereby increasing the extent of damage. Studies have shown that even early rainfall of as little as 0.85 mm can stimulate fruit fly activity,” said Ms. Suchitra.

As chemical spraying is not advisable when fruits are at a mature stage, an effective alternative is to harvest the matured fruits immediately after rainfall and treat them with lukewarm water at 52 °C for 5 minutes, which is sufficient to kill fruit fly eggs and prevent further infestation, she suggested. 

The senior scientist said that already infested fruits should be collected and destroyed and should not be left on the tree. It will increase the population and cause more problems in the next fruiting season. The two farmers said that either they wait for the fruits to drop to ground or pluck them while pruning the trees.