Adverse climate likely to bring down mango yield

Visakhapatnam: The king of fruits mango is again expected to be more dearer in the coming season, due to severe damage caused to the mango flowering across the state. With the prevailing severe cold, snow and fog during the nights and increasing temperatures during the day, the mango flowering is subjected to damage.

• Severe cold and fog during nights is causing damage to mango flowering across the state
• The unfavourable conditions may lead to low yield and also affect quality of fruits

The powdery mild dew is affecting mango flowers at a large extent and it is third consequent season that the mango flowering being damaged in the state. In the past three years, the farmers incurred losses due to decline in the yield and due to poor quality of fruits.

Mango is one of the top four fruit crops in the state which has been badly affected during the last three years. With the continuation of adverse weather conditions after Pongal festival, large extent of mango crop is being damaged at the flowering and podding stages.

In every season, the mango flowering transforms into tender mango. But in the present season, except at a very few places, at majority of the places across the state, the flowering is not ready to transform into tender raw mango.

Normally, in the winter season (mostly in December) mango flowering will give tender mangos. The chilly weather conditions are danger to the mango crop.

The most popular Andhra branded mangoes varieties `Banginapalle’ and ‘Chinna Rasalu’ from Krishna district, ‘Cheruku Rasalu’ and ‘Panchadara Karisalu’ from twin Godavari districts and north coastal sweetest variety ‘Suvarnarekha’ and other categories are exported to various other states and also to foreign countries.

India is producing 50 per cent of total mango crop across the world followed by China, Pakisthan and some other nations. The Andhra Pradesh is in the first place in producing mangoes. Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka and other states are placed next.

According to the information, the mango crop is cultivated in over 4.5 lakh acres in the state (excluding the Agency areas). On an average, Andhra Pradesh produced 24.5 lakh tonnes of mangoes per year between 2010 and 2014. However, the yielding has been reduced during the past three years and also the quality is also coming down due to the anti-climate conditions.

"This year, we have witnessed good flowering in the mid of November 2017. Severe cold, snow and fog are damaging the flowering. This weather conditions are very danger to the top varieties. Farmers in the north coastal districts habituated to cultivate `Panukulu’ variety, since yield comes early.

However, this time, the `Panukulu’ flowering also has been severely damaged. The day time temperatures are increasing; but the cold nights are damaging the crop. However, we are in big hopes that the situation will be changed,” P Ganesh Kumar, who is having five acres of mango crop in S Kota in Vizianagaram district and also Tagarapuvalasa mandal in Visakhapatnam said.

``Yes, we have information that the mango flowering is damaged at several places in the state. But, we are expecting that there will be change in the climate conditions as the day temperatures are increasing. The department is monitoring the situation,” said a senior official of Department of Horticulture, Andhra Pradesh.

By VKL Gayatri