UP: Thunderstorms hit mango crop, farmers face losses

Thunderstorms and rain over the weekend in and around Lucknow may have brought relief from heatwave but it has adversely impacted the mango farmers of the state. According to the cultivators, they have incurred a loss of roughly 20 per cent due to the unprecedented thunderstorm and rain spell at a time when mango produce was predicted to be three times better than the previous year. Mango growers said that the mango yield was to be exported in the first week of June itself. Insram Ali, president of the All-India Mango Growers' Association, said, "Last minute rain is usually good for mango cultivation but this time, due to the thunderstorm, around 15-20 per cent mango produce has been adversely affected in the entire state, particularly in the Malihabad and the Kakori region."

Ali had earlier said that the produce this year is three times better than previous year weighing approximately 30-35 lakh metric tonnes. "Earlier, hailstorms in the months of March and April had damaged about 20-25 per cent of the crop but it was compensated by the extreme warm weather, which is good for mango ripening. However, at the last moment, a thunderstorm pulled down ripe mangoes and destroyed many of them," he said. Naeem Siddiqui, another mango grower, said that most of the farmers have complained about the loss which is expected to be around 20 per cent.

According to ICAR-Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), loss in yield in the state is expected to be around 10 per cent. PK Shukla, principal scientist and HOD of Crop protection, CISH, said, "We have received information from the majority of the belt and the loss is expected to be around 10 per cent." Insram Ali, meanwhile, has urged the government to provide some compensation to the affected cultivators for whom their farms/orchards is the only source of livelihood.