This season appears to be an ill-omened one for mango farmers as well as mango lovers in the state. After an extended winter, which led to the flowering of the fruit, and out-of-season downpours, it is pests, particularly thrips, which are affecting the crop in the Konkan region. The triad of disturbances has quashed all hopes of farmers of having a quality fruit to sell and sustain themselves through.

Out of flavour: According to APMC traders, the fruit that they have been receiving is of inferior quality owing to thrips that have sucked all the nutrients from the fruits, leaving them tasteless and odourless