The Hindu : Front Page : Official apathy hits mango pulp industry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 25, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Official apathy hits mango pulp industry

S. Prasad

SWEET AROMA: Shops overflowing with the choicest mangoes in Krishnagiri. — Photo: N. Bashkaran

Krishnagiri: Despite being the second largest mango pulp producer in the country after Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, Krishnagiri continues to be the victim of official neglect and apathy. Establishment of an Agriculture Export Zone (AEZ) for mangoes has been a long-pending demand.

While districts which come after Krishnagiri in terms of volume have been declared an AEZ (Theni) and Food Park (Virudhunagar), the district continues to wait for a facility.More than 90 per cent of the country's mango pulp (1,40,000 metric tonnes per annum) are produced in Chittoor and Krishnagiri.

Despite registering high production industry owners are worried owing to constraints in marketing and lack of adequate infrastructure. "Cutthroat competition in the international market has left pulp industry owners in the lurch. The price of mango pulp which was in the range of $11 for a carton has now come down to $9 to 9.5 a carton. Merchant exporters cut the prices only to bag more orders."Pulp production in Krishnagiri is estimated to touch 80,000 tonnes in the current year," Dharmapuri District Fruit and Vegetables Processors Federation president G. Venkatasamy told The Hindu .

Out of the 40 pulp units in Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri belt only four have Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Certification (HACCP). Owing to lack of common testing facilities pulp owners are forced to test their produce only in labs in Bangalore, Mr Venkatasamy said.

"The marketing wing should be strengthened and existing factories modernised with focus on quality improvement and post-harvesting management. Agriculture Processed Foods and Export Development Authority (APEDA) should conduct a survey to fill the vital gaps in the industry," E. Madhavan of Paiyur Food Products said.

Cold storage

Collector Santhosh Babu said the Government had sanctioned Rs. 2 crore to establish cold storage facility for mangoes near Krishnagiri.

The district administration has identified lands for the facility.

Efforts would be made to export mango pulp under a single brand name called `KRISHMA'.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page