ICAR Reports 20% Mango Crop Damage Due to Untimely Rains & Hailstorm

According to senior ICAR officials, late rains, hailstorms, and strong winds have caused up to 20% damage to the nation's mango crop.

Mango growers reported widespread damage caused by hail and thunderstorms in North India.

The "King of Fruits" and a significant fruit crop in India is the mango. Almost 42% of the world's mango production is produced in India, a significant mango-growing nation.

Unseasonal rains, hailstorms, and gusty winds brought on by a western disturbance have affected horticulture and food grain harvests in various regions of the nation over the past few days.

"Untimely rains at first did not cause much harm, but subsequent showers and a hailstorm severely damaged the mango crop. As of right now, we estimate the overall loss to be around 20%,” A K Singh, Deputy Director General (Horticulture) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Mango crop losses have occurred more frequently in North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the nation's top-producing state of fruit. According to him, the expected loss of the mango crop in North India alone will be above 30%, whilst, in South India, the loss will be less than 8%.

He said that the states are still waiting to provide new data.

Upendra Singh, a mango farmer in Lucknow with a five-hectare plantation, stated, "Hailstorm damage in the Maal-Malihabad mango hub area has reached 75%. The damage has been lessened in areas where there have just been sporadic rainstorms and no hailstorm."

"The mango crop had the best condition up until March 19 in the previous 30 years. Unseasonal rains and storms have caused significant damage since March 20." He noted that the development of black fungus was caused by excessive moisture during the flowering period.

"Fruits had set in, but violent thunderstorms and strong wind led to fruit drops, and the crop damage is estimated to be roughly 25%," said Atul Kumar Awasthi, director of Tafari Farmer Producer Company.

In certain areas, mango trees have become infested with pests due to excessive moisture levels. According to him, this will affect the availability of good mangoes for export.

According to T Damodaran, director of the ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, hail and thunderstorms are mostly to blame for up to 50% of the damage in the Maal-Malihabad belt, which borders the Sitapur district.

In all other respects, he claimed that the crop situation is "quite good" in six out of the major mango-growing districts, including Lucknow, Hardoi, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Aligarh, Saharanpur, and Barabanki.

According to government statistics, the country produced 210 lakh tons of mangoes in the crop year 2021–22 (July–June), up from 203.86 lakh tons the year before.