NEW DELHI: Mango lovers waiting for the famous traditional varieties may not be able to enjoy the taste early this time as the first lot of the crop has mostly been damaged.
The farmers from Western UP claim that earlier the unseasonal rains and now the heatwave have affected the entire chain of mango production hence the first lot of mango crop which is supposed to come in the market by April 25 will not be available this time.
They claim that there might be a long delay in supplying the second lot and making exports for which the traditional mango varieties are famous. The unseasonal rains and thunderstorms first spoiled nearly one-third mango crop and then the heatwave caused more damage. After the rains, moisture increased in the air and soil and suddenly there is a rise in temperature causing mangoes to die, said reports.
Now the condition is such that mango farmers from various pockets including Noida, Bhaghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Hapur, Moradabad, etc are claiming a huge drop in supply to the Delhi wholesale markets.
They also claim that prices will go up in the retail market if supply is not maintained as per the demand and fall in exports to nearly 55 countries. The last financial year saw Indian exporters ship out 32,745 tonnes of the fruit. Most of it is exported to Central Asian countries, while EU countries and the US occupy essential shelves in the export basket.
“The first lot is almost zero, the second lot which comes around 20th May is going to be affected and the third lot of June will also be affected. There is a sudden change in weather as sometimes rises in temperature, another time it rains and again soaring temperature resulting in crop loss. Forget about low and normal-quality mangoes, even premium products from exports will be affected upto a large extent this time. If measures will be taken then later lots (July & August),” said Dushyant Nagar, a farmers’ rights activist from Greater Noida.
He further said that millions of people including farmers, caretakers, mango pluckers, packers, security men, suppliers, transporters, wholesale & retail traders and retailers who are engaged in mango farming have been facing ruin as rain and heatwave have damaged the crop. Among the affected people, the majority are from economically weaker sections who earn their livelihood through farming.
