Farmers and horticulturists are expecting bumper yield of mangoes in Gujarat due to favourable climatic conditions, which may help the state to emerge as the leading mango producer in the country  With favourable climatic conditions, Gujarat is expected to witness bumper production of mangoes this year. According to a poll conducted by Food Processing360, 92% of the respondents feel that the bumper yield of mangoes in Gujarat will help the state to become the leading producer of the fruit, while 8% of the respondents are uncertain about the same. It is estimated that bumper harvest of mangoes in Gujarat will help the state to topple Andhra Pradesh from the top position in mango production. Gujarat was positioned in the second spot last year and it hopes to become numero uno this year on the back of early arrival of mangoes.
“Last year the climatic conditions were unfavourable for mango cultivation. As a result, productivity was low and the king of fruits presently comes expensive for the consumers in low and mid-level income groups,” says Anup Joshi, director of Jayesh Overseas, a small-sized mango exporter in Rajkot.
The prospective high mango production will also enable exporters of mango to deliver larger quantities of the fruit to foreign markets and earn more profits.
Rains may affect production
Although the optimum weather conditions are likely to increase the productivity of mangoes this year, farmers in Gujarat apprehend that continuous rainfall in the state may lead to insect attacks. In this context, Dharmesh Arora, proprietor of J S International Fruits, a large-sized fruit supplier and exporter in Ahmedabad, says, “Farmers should have in place certain precautionary measures such as usage of fertilisers and pesticides to protect the mangoes from insects.”
Farmers in Gujarat are upbeat by the fact that almost 80% of the mango crop ha already started budding. As per horticulturalists, the flowering season of mango trees is at its peak and the trees have flowered well. Therefore, consumers in the state can hope to relish on a wide range of mangoes at reasonable rates this year.
Sabrina Mitchell |
