Mango crop withers due to adverse climatic conditions

Vizianagaram, Mar 12 (UNI) The prospects of a good mango crop appear bleak this season, as most of the crop has withered away due to adverse climatic conditions.

Assistant Director Horticulture S Narasimha Rao today said timely rains could have saved the crops. Farmers treated the mango buds with top CNM or balistan fertilisers to make them reach the stage of fruition.

The mango crops were grown in more than 37,000 hectares here and the last year's yield was 1.9 lakh metric tonnes, of which the 'Suvarnarekha' variety constituted 70 per cent.

The yield was likely to be just 50 per cent of what had been achieved in the previous year.

Naidu, a mango farmer, of Aguru village said this time the production was less due to the pest attacks.

Mr Rao said dew in early summer and the pest attack were the main reasons for the failure. The weather had been dry since the last major spell of rain in August and September and thereafter, there was only a dry patch for the 'king of fruits'.

UNI