Drought, severe heat, mildew attacks play havoc on mango production

For the third consecutive year, mango farmers and orchard owners are battling massive challenges such as drought, severe heat, low rainfall, and mildew infestation.

Skeletal mango trees

Take the example of Jayapal, a 56-year-old mango farmer from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. Last December, while pruning his 12-year-old mango trees, he had harboured high hopes for the upcoming season. He planned to purchase three cows and repair his house with the profits this year.

However, reality threw up a starkly different picture.

"Summer has begun. By now, the trees should have been laden with fruits, akin to a bride adorned with jewels. Instead, my trees resemble skeletons. While three years ago, I could expect yields of seven to 10 tonnes per acre, this year, it will be a struggle to reach even 2 tonnes," laments Jayapal, who has been suffering consecutive years of losses in his four-acre farm dotted with 250 mango trees.

Jayapal's plight is echoed by many mango farmers across India.

India, which boasts of close to 50 per cent of the global mango cultivation, has nearly 1,000 varieties of mangoes. Increasingly, more states are showing an interest in mango cultivation, helped by the release of hybrid and dwarf tree varieties by scientists to cater to the export market.

Rise in demand for Indian mangoes

Mangoes are truly the king of fruits, as they enjoy a premier position in exports among fruits, according to reports from the National Horticulture Board. Data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) says India exported 22 million tonnes of mangoes in 2020, 27 million tonnes in 2021, and 22 million tonnes in 2022.

The official statistics on exports will be available later this year.

Officials in the National Horticulture Board of India say among Indian mangoes, the Alphonso from Maharashtra, Dasheri mangoes of Uttar Pradesh, Totapuri from Andhra Pradesh, and Malgova from Tamil Nadu are in high demand in the export market.

Despite the rising demand for exports, mango farmers' associations allege that governments have failed to provide adequate support for production.

Insufficient insurance 

Amol Samant, who owns a 40-acre mango orchard in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, criticises the insufficient insurance provided by the Maharashtra government. He claims that it is inadequate compared to farmers' investments.

“It's understandable that rainfall fails some years and it is not up to our expectations. Since Indian mangoes are getting a good price in international markets, the government should give importance and support farmers to meet at least half of the losses since we have been suffering losses for three years post pandemic,” Amol Samant told The Federal over the phone.

Avinash Kumar Sharma, the regional deputy director of the National Horticulture Board (NHB) in Andhra Pradesh, emphasises the importance of fruit quality in the export market.

“Despite the expanding cultivation areas in many states, challenges such as poor growth rates, climatic factors, water scarcity, nutrition deficiencies, diseases, and pests, affect both production and fruit quality. Quality is an important factor to compete in the international market,” he pointed out in a conversation with The Federal. The NHB and state governments should get together to address these challenges and improve mango production, he suggested.

Sweet solutions available?

T Damodharan, the director of the Central Mango Research Station in Lucknow, has a couple of solutions to enhance production and minimise losses.

“Firstly, mango fruits will excel in quality and quantity only when they have both good sunlight and enough water to flourish. During drought conditions, it's unfortunate, and not possible for all farmers to spend on various modes to water the trees. But going forward, cultivators should realise the changing climates and adapt with technologies. Some farmers are now concentrating on off-season mango cultivation to get a good price for their produce,” he told The Federal.

When asked about the recurrence of mildew infestation, he said the frequency of pesticide usage also contributes to the damage. As of now, there is no permanent cure for mildew infestation, he said.

“We have designed a reusable bag to protect fruits from infestation. This bagging model is becoming popular among many mango farmers in Uttar Pradesh. Once the bud develops from the flower, the small fruit should be covered in the bag to avoid the direct effect of pesticides. And infestation from not one tree, even from one part of a tree to another branch can be protected in this model,” he said.