Tamil Nadu: El Nino effect takes a toll on Mango production

Madurai, June 27: Do not blame the fruit seller if the mangoes are less juicy this summer. Its the El NIno effect and the poor farmers do not have anything to do with it. With absolutely nothing to bank on to combat the lack of rains, the farmers have been rendered helpless.

It is reported that Madurai received just 0.2 mm rains this summer, according to the Skymet Meteorological Division in India. Although light showers can be expected, the flowers have whithered away due to the sultry weather.

Surprisingly, Madurai received 47 and 76 mm of rain in 2011 and 2012. But it reduced drastically in 2013. This year, the city received just 0.2 mm of rain since the beginning of April.

The Madhurai fruit market is one of the biggest markets in Southern Tamil Nadu, which trades 100 to 150 tons of mangoes every season. However, this year it has not been more than 20 tons. Dindigul and Theni districts are considered to be the mango belt of the region.

Interestingly, farmers say that there had been enough flowering of the mango crop, but they withered away due to lack of rains. In April 2013, a similar situation had occurred when a sudden hailstorm had damaged over 40 percent of unripe mango crop in Pochampalli district of Tamil Nadu.

Agriculturists are now worried that the mango yield itself will gradually deplete with time.

OneIndia News