Increase in temperatures, late flowering take a toll on mango yield

Visakhapatnam: Unlike last year that fetched bumper harvest, mango growers find this season quite disappointing as the yields have been badly affected.

The drastic fall in the crop is attributed to erratic weather conditions.

It is the worst year ever for Bandaru Arjuna, a mango grower in Chodavaram. “Increased temperatures caused havoc to the crop. Much to our shock, there is a drop of 75 percent in the production this year,” he laments. Arjuna grew mangoes in over 20 acres at Adduru, Chodavaram mandal. But the yield was confined to merely five acres.

The situation is not any better for Pavada Appalaraju, another mango grower at Uttarapalli in Kothavalasa mandal.

“Last year, we sent 1,300 boxes of mangoes to Odisha and neighbouring states. This time, we need to make do with just 500 boxes. In my eight years of farming experience, this is the worst yield our farm has ever registered,” rues Appalaraju.

Elaborating the reasons for the drop in the mango production, District Horticulture Officer (DHO) K Satya Narayana Reddy says, “Rising temperatures and unseasonal rains not just disrupted the flowering process but also affected the fruit-setting cycle. This apart, the soaring temperatures also affected the pollination process which is considered crucial for the flowers to mature into fruits.”

Currently, Visakhapatnam district has a standing crop spread over 1,000 acres approximately. Following the drop in the production, the yield is expected around 800 to 1,000 tonnes this year. Mangoes are grown in parts of Anandapuram and Padmanabham mandals, among other areas. ‘Suvarnarekha’ and ‘Banganapalli’ varieties are grown in the region.

Even as each acre would fetch about 8 to 10 tonnes of mangoes annually, the DHO informs, the production in the district may not cross more than a tonne per acre this year.