Mango production in the Indian state of Karnataka is likely to be lower this year due to untimely rains, high humidity and pests which have resulted in erratic flowering, according to the state's horticulture department.
So far there has been very little early-season flowering in the mango growing belt of Kolar, Dharwad, Chitradurga and around Bangalore, and Dr S V Hittalmani, a director of the department, said this year's crop would be significantly lower than last year's, Food and Beverage News reported.
Last year was a bumper season for Karnataka, with around 800,000 tonnes harvested, but the department estimates the coming season's yield to be around 250-300,000 tonnes.
Experts believe this shortfall could lead to a sharp increase in prices, with some tipping it could double, as neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are also anticipating yields to be down.
The state horticulture department was hoping to see improvement during the second flowering season in January and February, but even if this phase was productive it would still not make up for the poor start to the season, according to Dr Hittalmani.
Karnataka has a total of 140,000ha of planted area, with 85,000ha of that considered prime fruit yielding area.
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