Salem: Salem, known for its pulpy and tasty mangoes, is likely to witness a record drop in mango production due to the continuing dry spell. Staring at yet another year with poor yield, farmers say that there may be a drastic fall in mango production by upto 80 per cent this time, compared to previous years.

“Production has been hit acutely due to lack of rainfall over the last two years. Due to poor production, there has been delayed arrival of mangoes to the market. Therefore the prices of mangoes will also shoot up tremendously,” said A Jeyapal, president of the Salem district Mango and Fruit Sellers Association.

Mangoes grown in Salem have a unique taste and are favoured by people across Tamil Nadu. Large quantities are also exported to other states. Around 60 varieties of mangoes are cultivated largely in Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal and Erode districts during the peak season from March to June. Due to poor yield, traders believe that mangoes will reach the market in considerable quantity for sale only after April 20. “Even if it rains in the coming days, there may not be any significant improvement in production,” said Jeyapal.