Farmers in the longer second phase of the harvest in the Devgad and Ratnagiri districts estimated that the heatwave may have caused the loss of about three-fourths of the fruit as flowers withered and unripe mangoes fell to the ground.Mumbai Famous Alphonso orchards in Devgad and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra were affected by an unseasonal heatwave between February 25 and March 6 in the Konkan, and farmers fear that as much as three-fourths of the crop will be lost in its second ripening between mid-April and end-May.
Mumbai The famous Alphonso orchards in the Maharashtra districts of Devgad and Ratnagiri have been affected by an unseasonal heatwave that affected the Konkan between February 25 and March 6. Farmers anticipate losing up to three-fourths of the crop during its second ripening from mid-April to the end of May.
Around 75% of the fruit’s output in the longer second phase of the harvest could have been lost owing to the warmth, they suggested, as blooms withered and unripe mangoes fell to the ground.
This is a complete reversal from the first ripening phase in which around 30% of the annual harvest hits the market around February.
Farmers are already grappling with lower returns. Rajesh Raut, a small mango farmer from Devgad, stated, “Last week, I sold a total of 50 boxes, each containing 5.5 dozen mangos, for Rs. 2,200. I will receive the money from these sales in June at some point.
“We start sending the mangoes from trees that bloom in November to the market in February. After that, the mango trees that bloomed in January and February begin to bear mangoes by the end of February or the first week of March,” Raut added. “Small mangoes fell, and we suffered huge losses,” said Vidyadhar Pusalkar, a mango farmer from Malgund in Ratnagiri district.
Due to decreased productivity, the Maharashtra State Mango Growers Association has asked the state government for financial support for mango producers.
This year, a significant amount of mangoes were lost to sunstroke, and the first and second weeks of March saw a lot of rain. Due to the rains on March 16 and 17 in Raigad district, there has been a big epidemic of fungal infections on mangoes,” said Chandrakant Mokal, the association’s president. “Due to this, the government should provide financial support to mango farmers this year.”
However, government representatives argued that it was too soon to declare a decline in production. “March is the first season of mangoes. It would not be appropriate to discuss the upcoming season at this time, a department of cooperation, marketing, and textiles official said under the condition of anonymity. This season has produced good results.
