According to growers, extreme weather conditions during the early flowering season and poor quality of pesticides led to unprecedented damage to their crops. The scorching heat of summers has but one sweet reason to wait for: mangoes. However, according to mango growers, the production of the fruit been reduced by around 90% this year in the largest mango belt of Uttar Pradesh – Malihabad – due to adverse weather conditions and repeated heat waves.
Growers also blamed inferior quality pesticides for the mango crop suffering. “Mango production is extremely low this year, possibly the lowest that I have ever seen. This is the first time in 25-30 years that March has had more heat than May-June, resulting in many flowers being damaged,” said Insram Ali, president, All India Mango Growers’ Association. “The flowering season requires a moderate temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, but due to temperatures soaring to 40 degrees during the early flowering stage in the month of March and April, it has led to damages to the mango flowers,” Ali added.
He also said that mango production in Uttar Pradesh used to range between 3.5 and 4.5 mln tons per year, but this year only 400,000 to 600,000 tons are expected. As a result, mangoes will be sold at a very high price in the market. This will directly impact the various mango varieties, with none of them selling for less than ₹70-80 per kg, compared to ₹25-30 kg previously.
[ ₹100 = €1.20 ]
Source: hindustantimes.com