Mangoes 2025: Tamil Nadu farmers on the season’s specialities Premium

Tamil Nadu mango farmers navigate challenges of climate change and wildlife to deliver organic produce across India.

A squirrel has scooped out a tiny hole in an Imam Pasand mango that farmer K Baskar has set aside. “I had left the box outside just a few minutes ago!” he chuckles. Animals and birds make away with a lot of the produce at his 40-acre organic farm that borders Dindigul district. But he works his way around this, given that his farm at Andipatti in Tiruppur district also abuts the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Baskar grows Alphonso, Imam Pasand, Neelam, and Malgova varieties on his 800 mango trees.

Farm hands are harvesting the fruits from this orchard one summer afternoon using a long pole bearing a scissors-like contraption that snips the mango from the branch. It falls into a small net right beneath, and the fruit is transferred to a waiting basket below. Every mango is dealt with care — after all, Baskar waited a year for this moment.

“This year, I’m seeing only 30% of yield,” says the 48-year-old, adding that he lost over 500 kilograms of mangoes a few days ago due to an unexpected gust of heavy winds. But he is keeping his chin up, packing off mangoes to customers across India. “Mangoes are extremely sensitive to rains,” he says, as we make our way through prickly undergrowth towards a tree laden with Alphonso mangoes. “If there is too much rain, the fruit might not hold much sugar content.” The Alphonsos are a mix of dark and light green, with a few showing smudges of orange. The smell — a heady combination of earth and rain with sweetish undertones — is an indicator that the fruits are ready to be harvested.

According to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Agritech Portal, India ranks first in the world among mango producing countries. In Tamil Nadu, major mango growing districts are Dindigul, Theni, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Vellore, and Thiruvallur. Salem, known for its Gundu variety, is yet another mango hub. Farmers report that the season has been in its peak over the past 15 days in the region.

According to Sathish Ramasamy, who owns 35 acres in Magudanchavadi, Salem, they initially faced issues with quality. Right now though, their fruits are in great form. Sathish, who runs the company Salemmango, sells online and has customers across India. “I do not use chemicals since our farm is located in a rain-fed area,” he says, adding that mango farmers from near and far visit his farm to understand how it is possible to grow mangoes organically.  

Friends and software professionals Shyam Sembagoundar and Siva Sankar, who hail from Salem and work in the US, help Salem mango farmers find customers through their online venture Namkalam. “We route customers directly to farmers,” explains Shyam. He adds that farmers who they work with drop off produce at the Salem market. The two of them then package the fruits to ship to people across Tamil Nadu, and offer a holistic approach to customer service complete with a refund if there are issues. The idea, Shyam explains, is to help farmers sell their produce for a good price.  

While mango trees are known to be hardy, climate change is making things difficult for farmers by springing up unseasonal rains. Those following organic methods find it even more challenging. But they are dealing with the problem with techniques such as biological sprays.