ICAR estimates 20% mango crop damage due to untimely rain and hail
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19 April 2023, New Delhi: According to a senior ICAR official, untimely rains, hailstorms, and strong winds have caused up to 20% of India’s mango crop to be damaged. Mango growers reported widespread damage caused by hail and thunderstorms in North India.
The ‘King of Fruits’ Mango is a significant horticulture crop in India and contributes almost 42% to the world’s mango production. Unseasonal rains, hailstorms, and gusty winds brought on by the western disturbance have affected horticulture and food grain harvests in various regions of the nation over the past few days.
“The initial rains did not affect the mango plantations, but subsequent rains and a hailstorm resulted in severely damaging the mango crop. According to Deputy Director General (Horticulture) A K Singh of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), “As of now, we anticipate the total damage to be about 20%.”
Mango crop losses have occurred more frequently in North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh which is India’s top mango-producing state. According to him, the expected loss of the mango crop in North India alone will be above 30%, whilst, in South India, the damage will be less than 8%. He said that the states are still waiting to provide new data.
According to government estimates, the country produced 210 lakh tonnes of mangoes during the crop year (July-June) 2021–22, up from 203.86 lakh tonnes the year before.
