Mango board launches awareness campaign to improve productivity

Though mangoes are cultivated on two lakh hectares across the State, nearly 40% of the crop falls in the “unproductive” category.

To remedy this, the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Board has embarked on an awareness campaign about the importance of pruning and top-working — which is the grafting of a new variety on a mature tree — to improve productivity.

Board chairman L. Gopalakrishna told presspersons here on Wednesday that pruning allows penetration of sunlight, prevents fungal growth and hinders attack from pests and insects. Top-work, on the other hand, is for “old and under-developed trees”, which helps new shoots to sprout.

The productivity of mango is just 9.72 tonnes per hectare in the State, as opposed to 11 to 12 tonnes per hectare in Uttar Pradesh.

“In Israel, the productivity is 35 to 40 tonnes per hectare. Cultivation is taken seriously, where attention is given to calculating major and minor nutrients, soil quality and drip irrigation,” said Mr. Gopalakrishna, adding that the time is ripe for cultivators to take up pruning and top-working.

“If pruning is done now, the mango trees will be ready for flowering in November. The trees with top-work will be ready for production only after a year,” Mr. Gopalakrishna said.

The board will be taking awareness campaigns to different districts in the State this month, where technical experts will guide the farmers.

Kadiregowda, board’s director, said it was setting up a hot-water treatment unit in Chikkaballapur taluk. The board had also proposed to set up processing units at Kolar and Ramanagaram districts.

A tender had been floated for the preparation of the detailed project report. Also in the pipeline are training and development centres at Ramanagaram and Dharwad. The proposals for the land allotment for the centres are before the Revenue Department, he said.