LUCKNOW: Expecting a bumper crop this year, the mango growers of Uttar Pradesh, who were upbeat till a fortnight back, are now keeping their fingers crossed as the unseasonal rains have already destroyed 20-25 per cent of the crop which was in flowering mode across the state.
As per an estimation of the Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), while the statewide damage to the crop was up to 25%, the damages in the Mal-Malihabad belt, one of the largest producers of mangoes in the state, may be to the tune of 35% due to rains, hailstorm and high-speed winds lashing the crop.
In fact, UP holds pole position in mango production in the country. According to the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, UP contributes around 24 percent of the total production in the country. It is also the largest producer of premium Dussehri mangoes.
In the Malihabad belt, replete with huge orchards, the mango crop covers an area of over 31,000 hectares. Dussehri and other prominent varieties are cultivated here and Malihabad is the hub of mango export from UP.
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A huge chunk of population in the Lucknow mango belt comprising Malihabad, Kakori, Mal, Mohanlalganj, Barabanki and Sitapur, owns mango orchards. The mango growers like Kanhaiya Lal of Mal and Khaleel Mirza of Malihabad bank upon mango production as their earnings in the mango season sustain them throughout the year.
As per CISH director T Damodaran, eight teams of scientists were set up to ascertain the losses in state’s mango producing districts including Sitapur, Malihabad, Barabanki, Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar, Shahjahanpur, Shamli, Varanasi and Kushinagar among others.
“It was found that Mal-Malihabad region in Lucknow belt had suffered more damages (35%) than other districts which witnessed damage up to 20-25%,” said Damodaran.
According to CISH scientists, unseasonal rain have affected mango flowering in various ways leading to fungal disease. Anthracnose infection in fruits, blossom blight and powdery mildew are among most common diseases caused due to untimely rain.
“Even the chemicals and pesticides used during the fruit setting period to protect the crop get washed away and become ineffective with the unseasonal rains. This impacts the yield and its quality as well,” says Dr Awdhesh Mishra, an agriculture scientist.
“We were expecting a high yield this year, but unseasonal rains have shattered all our dreams,” says Insram Ali, president of All India Mango Growers’ Association. He adds that the first rain was beneficial for flowers, but the second and third consecutive showers, followed by hailstorm in March, turned the panicles black and now they may or may not develop into healthy fruit.
Ali claims that the worst-affected varieties would be Dussehri, Chausa, Langda and Lakhnauwa. However, the CISH scientists are still hopeful of a high yield despite the inclement weather and its effect on the crop when it was in the crucial stage of fruit setting.