In Jadcherla, in the Indian state of Telangana, the mango crop which covers more than 3,000 acres, has been severely hit by prevailing drought conditions.
Mostly depended on borewells for water, the mango crop is facing a tough time as the bores have gone dry. With the dry conditions, the mango trees started withering from the flowering stage.
Tenant farmers, who took the mango orchards on lease by paying a whopping rent amount ranging from Rs 70,000 to Rs 100,000 per acre, are the worst hit. In some orchards, even the decades old mango trees have perished due to lack of adequate irrigation water and adverse weather conditions.
Speaking to The Hans India, a tenant farmer, Krishnaiah said, “There are no chances of getting the investment on the mango crop back. There will be a drastic decline in the crop yield if the temperature rises further in the coming weeks.’’
A female farmer Lakshmi blamed the horticultural officials. She said, officials have failed to provide proper guidance to mango growers on the steps to be taken to protect their standing crop in the prevailing drought conditions. The rate of fruit dropping is quite high in the mango orchards, causing severe concern to farmers.
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Source: thehansindia.com