Karnatake, India, mango treatment plant delayed by lack of land
“We cannot acquire farmers’ land for setting up the plant. Acquiring private land has become difficult as many are politically influential. Finding government land has become a major challenge. Some farmers sell their mangoes to private companies for treatment and sale, and some others send it to Innova Agri Bio Park Limited in Malur in Kolar district for treatment and sale,” explained another KSMDMCL official.
The KSMDMCL has made many requests to the state government, seeking help in identifying land but in vain. Gowda said that though mango production has taken a beating this year because of drought, the export demand has increased because of the quality of the produce. Last year, Karnataka produced 13 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes of which 6,975 metric tonnes was exported. This year, the yield is expected to be around 10 lakh metric tonnes and the KSMDMCL expects to export the same quantity as last year.
source: deccanherald.com
