Fast winds damage mango crop

Fast winds damage mango crop
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Chatha (Jammu), May 5
The recent high-speed winds and dust storm have proved to be the bane of mango growers in the Jammu region, as it has caused a massive damage to the fruit crop.

The fruit, which is in its sprouting or blossoming stage, has been damaged up to 30 per cent and another such spell of weather could damage the crop up to 50 per cent.

“The fruit is in its immature stage and speedy winds have damaged it. The fruit are falling from the trees before its ripening period,” said an expert of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) here.

He added that, “The fruit is expected to ripen next month and it needs normal temperature with low speed winds”. The Horticulture Department has also started a fresh exercise to assess the huge damage caused to the mango crop growers.

The mango crop being a cash crop has attracted a large number of farmers of the region, as people in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur and Reasi districts grow this fruit. “Last year, our crop was affected due to the drought-like situation and this year the speedy winds have played havoc,” said Vinod Kumar, a horticulturist.

He added, “The farmers in the region are suffering huge losses due to unexpected weather conditions. If the weather remains the same in the coming days, we will have to opt for some other means to earn our livelihood”.

Meanwhile, the experts of the SKUAST have advised the mango growers to whitewash the lower stem of the mango plants in order to protect them from heat and any other injury.

They have also advised the farmers to spray their crop with Naphthalene Acetic Acid as high-speed winds might flow in the next few days.

With this sudden damage to the mango crop, the local pickle manufacturing community are at their wits end, as it would also affect their businesses.