Chittoor, Annamayya mango growers fear dry spell, rainfall deficit likely to impact 2027 yields

CHITTOOR/RAYACHOTI A harsh dry spell and severe rainfall shortages due to El Niño conditions have put the mango orchards across Chittoor and Annamayya districts in serious crisis as farmers prepare their trees for the upcoming flowering season. With the soil rapidly drying and local water tables under immense pressure, mango growers fear that the prolonged dry spell will wreck the 2027 season’s blooms, fruit set, and overall yields. The numbers behind the rainfall deficit are alarming.

Chittoor received only 445.7 mm of rain against its usual 677 mm — a 34.2% shortfall. Meanwhile, in Annamayya district, the situation is even distraught, with just 302.5 mm recorded against a normal 574 mm, with a 47.3% deficit. Chittoor district alone has roughly 51,736 hectares planted with Totapuri mangoes, boasting an expected production capacity of 5.17 lakh tonnes.

Considering the wider belt spanning Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamayya, and Kadapa, Totapuri cultivation stretches across nearly 90,000 hectares, with close to 50,000 farmers involved and producing an estimated 9 lakh tonnes every year.