VIJAYAWADA: Here is some sweet news for aficionados of mangoes. The delectable king of fruits is all set to hit the market a little earlier than usual, thanks to early flowering and fruit-setting. What more? The yield of the mangoes is also going to be higher what with mango orchards witnessing better flowering this year.Yields from Reddigudem, Nuzivid and other parts of Krishna district, according to horticulture officials, are likely to be in the market by mid-March as against the normal entry some time in April. "The flowering had begun as early as in November, 2016. Therefore, the yields will be in the market a little earlier than usual. Mangoes from Reddigudem usually arrive in the markets early," a senior horticulture official said.The official said the reason for early flowering is the adverse weather conditions in the previous year. "Whenever there is a failed season, the following one will be a better one. We had a relatively bad year last time and subsequent changes in the weather resulted in better flowering this time around," the official explained.However, horticulture officials said that it is early to predict a bumper crop as unseasonal rain or heavy winds even for a day will reverse the situation. "The actual picture will be out only after the flower begins to set. But, this is the best flowering we have witnessed in three years," N Sujatha, assistant director of horticulture, Krishna district, told TOI.Meanwhile, foggy weather conditions in the winter are dampening the fruit-setting process. Farmers from across the district are complaining of pest which is affecting the fruits. "Because of fog, not only is the flowering withering, but the colour of the fruit is also changing. We incurred losses in the last two years. It is no different this year too," lamented M Sarveswara Rao from Reddigudem in Krishna district.Due to the pest problem, farmers are resorting to excessive usage of pesticides and chemicals. "We are going for more sprayings to tackle the pest problem. While the rate of mango output is decreasing every year, our input expenditure is going up," another farmer Venkateswara Rao from Nuzvid added.

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