Love for mangoes crosses borders: Nepalis flock to Maharashtra to work on mango farms
Alphonso mango tree in Ratnagiri (Representational image)
The onset of summer heralds the arrival of the ‘king of fruits’ aka mango. People across the world are united in their love for mangoes. One such case of cross-border mango love can be seen between India and Nepal. Nepalis are flocking to Maharastra's Ratnagiri region to work on mango farms.
The Konkan region of Maharashtra is famous for its alphonso mangoes.
“I am from Nepal. For the first time, I came to Ratnagiri district by a bus. It took me three days. I came alone to work on the farms during the first two years, but later moved my family to Ratnagiri too,” says Teju, a migrant worker on a mango farm in Ratnagiri.
While Teju workson the farm, his wife acts as a keeper of the farm. She safeguards the mangoes from monkeys or any other damage.
ButTeju is not alone in migrating to India to work on these farms. The Konkan region sees an influx of labourers from Nepal every year. The number of Nepalis who have travelled from Nepal to Maharashtra has grown significantly over the past few years. Official data shows thatover 50,000 Nepalis travelled from Nepal to Maharastra in 2018 towork on mango farms.
The number has risen to over 150,000 in 2023.
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Nepalis come in during the month of October and start their work by pruning branches and spraying fertiliser before the harvest season.
They stay till the end of May or early June. They also help to pick, sort and pack the mangoes for export or sale.
WATCH |Nepalis bringing Ratnagiri mangoes to Maharashtra's tables
In fact, thisyear, mango farmers have said that they have seen a rise in first-time Nepali visitors on the farms.
The total cost of maintainingtwo farm keepers who usually work in pairs is about Rs 50,000 ($609)- 1 lakh ($1217)for a period of six months.
Pradeep Sawant owns 15 mango farms in Ratnagiri and employeesover 30 keepers and 30 labourers on his farms.
He says that they work and live on the farm and are trustworthy.
Mango farmers say that the working pattern in the field is changing. Increasing number of Nepalis have started showing interest in working in Maharastra.At the end of the season the Nepali farm workersprepare the soil and do the grunt work for the next season. They leave for Nepal with a cumulative sum of around oneLakh ($1217), which is sufficient for them to survive for the next four months.
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