Keonjhar: Farmers of the district are depressed as despite having a good harvest, the lack of marketing facilities have robbed their hopes of a good profit.

Because of the high produce, mango growers are left with little option but go for distress sale of their yield.

Telkoi block, the hub of mango plantation, is the worst hit. If one visits the place, heaps of mangoes along the roadside will greet the visitor. "At Rs 10, one can get a kilo of delicious ripe mangoes. This sums up the precarious situation that we find ourselves," said Biranchi Behera, a farmer from Jagamohanpur village.

"I own a mango orchard spread over an acre. The yield was good this year despite the norwester. So far, the produce has been seven quintals. But, there are few takers. We are forced to dispose off the fruits at as low as Rs 7 to 8 a kilo to traders from outside the district," said mango farmer Goura Chandra Pradhan from Khuntapada village.

Lack of marketing and cold store facilities have added to the plight of mango farmers.

Mango orchards are spread across 4,000 hectares in Telkoi block. Mango harvest is the bread and butter for more than 25,000 families. The mangoes from Telkoi are much in demand. In the current situation, the farmers are being extended an incentive of Rs 12,750 for each acre from National Horticulture Mission grants. "Despite the good yield, farmers are resorting to distress sale in some areas," said district horticulture officer Om Prakash Rath.

Mango production is an attractive source of living for the people in these parts of the state. "However, lack of marketing facilities has emerged as the major hurdle for mango and other horticulture crops. The need of the hour is to bring up market yards through regulated marketing committees (RMC) in mango cultivation hubs. The sale of mangoes will be hassle-free through RMCs and the farmers will get the remunerative price of their produce. It will provide the much-needed boost to rural economy of this region," Rath said.