Mysuru: Mango, often hailed as the ‘King of Fruits’ for its sweetness, has turned bitter for growers and wholesale dealers this season.

A sudden slump in prices has left contractors — who purchased mangoes in bulk before the harvest — in distress.

Initially, mango prices were favourable, bringing smiles to sellers. However, the abrupt market crash has shocked growers, many of whom are leaving fruits on trees, hoping for a price revival. They fear that harvesting and selling now may not even cover transportation costs. Incessant monsoon rains have worsened the situation, as mangoes left on trees risk rotting and harvested fruits have a short shelf life.

Wholesale dealers, known as contractors, typically buy entire mango orchards from farmers during December-January. The unexpected price drop has hit them hard. Key varieties have seen sharp declines: Rasapuri: Fell from Rs. 120/kg to Rs. 80/kg, Badami: Dropped from Rs. 140/kg to Rs. 100/kg, Mallika: Reduced by Rs. 40 from Rs. 140/kg to Rs. 100/kg and Totapuri: Decreased by Rs. 10 (from Rs. 50/kg to Rs. 40/kg).

Karnataka cultivates mangoes across 1.40 lakh hectares, yielding 10-11 lakh tons annually. While about 4 lakh tonnes are consumed fresh, the rest are processed into juices, jams and pickles.

Though Mysuru’s market remains relatively stable, farmers in other regions are devastated and demand Government intervention, including a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for mangoes. Responding to the crisis, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the declaration of a MSP for mangoes.

While growers and contractors grapple with losses, consumers are seizing the opportunity, flocking to vendors to buy their favourite varieties at lower prices.