How Bad Weather Is Affecting Mango Cultivation?

Heatwave, unseasonal rain and extreme weather conditions are affecting the cultivation of mango, known as the 'King of Fruits', in India, the world's largest producer of the fruit.

India ranks first among world's mango-producing countries, accounting for about 50% of the world's production. Grown in over 1.23 million hectare, the country had produced 21 million tonne of mango last year.

However, the unpredictable weather is playing the spoilsport this year. The untimely rain and golf-ball-sized gails in March and April damaged the crops, Mohd. Salim Mirza, a mango-grower from Malihabad in Uttar Pradesh, told Hindustan Times. Last year too, his crops had to face the brunt of intense heat.

This year, the storm, rain, hailstorm and the resulting cold weather have damaged 40% of the crop, according to another report. "The climatic conditions were very good 10 days ago but the recent drop in temperature caused by rain and hailstorm have destroyed nearly 40% of the crop," Insram Ali, president of the Mango-Growers' Association of India, told PTI.

According to another mango-grower, this fruit requires mild summer weather in the month of March to grow, but this time that did not happen. Kalimullah, a famous mango-grower from Malihabad near Lucknow, said that they are estimating this year's loss to be around 50%.

"Last year in March, due to severe heat, the crop had suffered a lot and only about 20 lakh tonne of mango could be produced in the State. This year, mango-growers have been hit by the weather for the second year in a row and the hopes of recouping last year's losses now seem bleak," he added.

Mango trees in northern India typically blossom in February and March, coinciding with the increasing occurrence of heat waves. According to a recent study by India Meteorological Department (IMD), the frequency and length of heat waves in the country have increased by approximately 2.5 days over the past 30 years, primarily attributed to global warming.

These changes in the weather have impacted mango cultivation in India and also affecting the export of mangoes adversely.

In Uttar Pradesh, mangoes are produced in about 1.5 lakh hectare area in 14 districts that include Lucknow, Unnao, Pratapgarh, Moradabad, Hardoi, Bulandshahr and Barabanki. However, the loss of production is not restricted to Uttar Pradesh alone as it is the same case in other parts as well.

"After last year's heat wave destroyed 60% of the crop, many horticulturists have auctioned their orchards to contract farmers to hedge risks," Hindustan Times quoted Bhagalpur's Ashok Chaudhary of Bihar Aam Utpadak Sangh (Bihar Mango Growers' Association) as saying.

Raj Sekhar Subba Rao, a plant physiologist from the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, informs that in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, approximately 20% of the orchards experience early flowering due to unpredictable weather fluctuations.

"Mango is well adapted to tropical climate. However, it cannot stand frosty weather. Very high temperature, especially when flowering is young, low or high humidity and high winds, all of this will affect yield," Rao explained.

While most of the States in India have mango plantations, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have a major share in total production of the fruit. Alphonso, Kesar, Totapuri and Banganpalli are leading export varieties from the country. Mango exports primarily take place in three forms: fresh mango, mango pulp and mango slice.

In the recent years, India has expanded its footprint of mango exports to newer countries. Notably, the Centre secured the approval of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for export of Indian mango to US in 2022.