Mango growers in Koraput, a region in the east of India, are encountering difficulties as a result of insufficient rainfall impacting flowering. Farmers in areas including Kundra, Borigumma, Nadnapur, Pottangi, Damantpur, Semiliguda, Laxmipur, Boipariguda, and Jeypore expanded cultivation by approximately 5,000 acres under government schemes, anticipating harvests from May to July.
The period from the second week of February to March is vital for mango flowering, relying heavily on rainwater. In hilly and upland areas, manual irrigation is impractical, making rain essential. This year, the absence of rainfall has left 80% of mango flowers damaged. Sagar Samantaray, a farmer from Dangarpaunsi village, stated, "Rainwater is essential for growing the mango flower as we cannot spray the water to whole parts of mango trees regularly. This year, we have no such downpour to help grow the mango flower."
Jeypore Horticulture Department's senior horticulturist, Sanjeev Kumar Mohanta, confirmed the impact of the lack of rainfall on mango production. "It is indeed the mango flowering stage has been hit for non rains in time and subsequent sudden heat wave that largely affected to grow the flower further and mostly the flowers destroy well before fruit making," Mohanta noted.
Source: New Indian Express