Climate Change Hits Mango Production, Export From UP
It may be called Aam (common), but climate change and government neglect has hit the Mango crop in Uttar Pradesh big time to make it khaas (special). With a fall of around 30 per cent in the mango crop, the mango growers of UP are feeling the heat of climate change in a big way.
Uttar Pradesh accounts for 23 per cent of total mango production in the country. The mango from Uttar Pradesh, which includes varieties like Dussheri, Chausa, Lagda and more, is exported majorly to countries like Singapore, Malaysia, England and Dubai. Lucknow, Saharanpur and Meerut are the major mango producing districts of the state. However, in the last few years, the crop has come down drastically.
According to data by the UP Mango growers association, Lucknow alone contributed to nearly 55 Lakh metric tonnes of mango from the state in 2021. But in the last three years, the mango crop has been majorly affected by the impact of climate change. This year too, it was expected that the mango crop would touch the 30 lakh metric tonnes mark, however, the heat and weather conditions turned the crop sour.
As per the mango growers of UP, they have been facing the heat of the weather in a big way. A mango grower, on condition of anonymity said, “This year, we saw early flowering which impacted the crop in a negative manner. Early flowering is never considered good for the mango crop as we cannot decipher what the final crop would be and are unable to talk to the exporters. While we are already dealing with low yield every year, the early flowering and dry winds resulted in bug attacks on the flowers, which added fuel to our woes.”
Insram Ali of UP Mango Growers Association says that for the mango growers, it has been a double whammy. “It is not just climate change that has hit us hard. Even the neglect by the governments in the past towards the mango growers has been a villain for us,” says Ali.
As per the mango growers, although UP contributes highest to the mango exports from India, yet the mango growers are not compensated like other farmers when nature’s fury destroys their crop. “Mango yield and quality both have been facing the impact of climate change from the past few years. But unlike other farmers who get compensated by the government in case of crop loss, we mango growers have no support,” reveals Ali.
The increasing use of medicines to keep the bugs away and deteriorating quality of the medicines has also been a bane for the mango crop. “We have been constantly complaining about the poor quality and duplicate medicines in the market to both the state and the central government but no strong steps have been taken so far. The fake or highly chemical loaded medicines have resulted in deteriorating quality of the fruit that also impacts the exports,” says Ali.
Lucknow’s Central Institute Of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) however has been working towards developing low chemical based fertilisers and hybrid varieties of mango that can be less affected by heat or bugs.
Yet, there has been no end to the problems of the mango growers so far and they are now hoping that the state government will provide them some support. “It is known as the king of fruits and UP has always felt pride in showcasing its Mango across the globe. While we cannot fight climate change, it is only government support that can actually save the real flavour of this fruit and let the world relish the aam,” said an orchard owner of Saharanpur.
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