Gujarat's mango produce faced a loss of up to 35% due to unseasonal rain
At the height of summer, thunderstorms accompanied by high-speed winds struck on Monday and Tuesday, causing pre-ripened fruit to fall from trees, leading to significant losses for mango farmers.
Teams from the Gujarat horticulture department, in coordination with the agricultural department and gram sevaks, began a survey from Wednesday onwards to assess the damage caused by the unseasonal weather. On Wednesday, teams comprising agriculture department officials and gram sevaks at the village level began conducting surveys in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch. The survey is expected to take around five days, officials said.
According to sources in the horticulture department, around 30 to 35 percent of the mango crop may have been damaged in South Gujarat.
In South Gujarat, mangoes are mainly cultivated in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and parts of Bharuch. In Saurashtra, they are grown in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, and Amreli, with Kachchh's Kesar variety among the last to be harvested., Mango farming spans approximately one lakh hectares in South Gujarat and around 42,000 hectares in Saurashtra, according to the state horticulture department. Last year, yields in South Gujarat ranged from 4 to 4.25 tonnes per hectare, while in Saurashtra it was slightly higher.
The unseasonal weather on Monday and Tuesday brought strong winds and light showers to several areas in South Gujarat – including Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, and Dangs — as well as parts of Saurashtra. Mango farmers in Saurashtra have already started harvesting fruit early to prevent further damage, say sources.
Dinesh Paladiya, Joint Director of the Horticulture Department (Surat range), told The Indian Express, 'In South Gujarat, mango is cultivated on close to one lakh hectares—over 36,000 hectares in Valsad, 33,000 hectares in Navsari, 15,000 hectares in Surat, and the remaining in Bharuch district. The major variety is Kesar, accounting for around 60 percent, while Alphonso covers about 30 percent. Other varieties include Dasheri, Langda, Rajapuri, and Totapuri. Alphonso is primarily grown in Valsad. Over 70,000 farmers in South Gujarat are involved in mango cultivation, and Alphonso and other varieties from here are exported to Western countries.'
He added, 'On Monday and Tuesday, due to high-speed winds and showers, mangoes that were ready for harvest fell to the ground. The damage assessment will be clearer after the survey. Harvesting had already begun in some areas and was expected to peak in mid-May. While production figures for this year are yet to be confirmed, we estimate losses of 30 to 35 percent due to the adverse weather.'
Bhupendra Tandel, a research scientist at Aspee College of Horticulture under Navsari Agricultural University, said, 'Farmers in Navsari have reported an unusually high number of male flowers compared to female flowers in mango orchards this season. Experienced growers can spot the difference, but we conduct awareness programs for newer farmers. Male flowers do not bear fruit.'
He continued, 'We also cultivate mangoes on our institutional farms. Due to Tuesday's high-speed winds, over 50 percent of the ready-to-harvest fruit fell from trees and were damaged. Traders can easily identify fallen fruit, and they usually refuse to buy it. Such fruit is only used to make mango pulp by processing units in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad.'
Tandel noted, 'Mango fruit is highly sensitive to climate. When daytime temperatures exceed 34 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures drop to around 13 degrees Celsius, male flowers outnumber female flowers.'
Speaking to The Indian Express, R H Ladani, Joint Director of the horticulture department (Rajkot range), said, 'After receiving forecasts of light showers and strong winds, we alerted mango growers in Saurashtra, who began harvesting early. About 80 percent of mango cultivation here is Kesar; the rest are other varieties. We will also begin a crop damage survey soon.'
Dashrat Desai, a 60-year-old mango farmer from Valsad, said, 'May marks the start of mango harvesting. I've been farming mangoes for 30 years, and this year's unseasonal weather, with strong winds, caused over 40 percent of the fruit to fall before harvesting. I grow Alphonso and Kesar on 70 acres, with about 4,000 trees. I had invested heavily expecting a good yield. Now, those fallen mangoes are useless. Even pulp factories have slashed their rates from Rs 1,600 per ton to Rs 350-400 per ton.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Bengal to get more rain; South Bengal districts on Yellow alert
Written by Anisha Ghosh The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Yellow alert (Be Aware) for most South Bengal districts on Sunday afternoon. The weather bureau predicted light to moderate rainfall with possible thunderstorms in South Bengal districts like Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia, East and West Bardhaman, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Nadia, and Kolkata. State capital Kolkata experienced overcast conditions on Sunday, but there was only 0.4 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 30.4 degree Celsius and a minimum of 26.2 degree Celsius on Sunday. Humidity levels were on the higher side, ranging from 83 per cent to 100 per cent. Meanwhile, the IMD has put North Bengal districts like Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar under an Orange alert (Be Prepared), expecting heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) on Sunday. Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, and Kalimpong are under a Yellow alert and are likely to witness light to moderate rainfall. Warnings have been issued for possible lightning and local flooding in low-lying areas across the region. In its bulletin, the IMD also stated that a 'trough runs from cyclonic circulation associated with the well-marked low-pressure area over northwest Madhya Pradesh and neighbourhood to northeast Bangladesh across northeast Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and north Gangetic West Bengal between 0.9 to 5.8 km above mean sea level.' Under the influence of this strong monsoon flow, widespread light to moderate rainfall is very likely to continue over West Bengal, with heavy rainfall activity expected at one or two places in some districts over the next few days. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern with The Indian Express)
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Indian Express
Kolkata braces for more light rain as low-pressure system moves westwards
Written by Shambhavi Pandey After days of persistent showers, Kolkata saw a brief pause in rain on Sunday morning as the intensity of the rain eased and the sun finally peeked through the clouds. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that no major rain warning has been issued for Kolkata. However, the broader weather pattern suggests that rain is far from over in Bengal. The IMD reported that the monsoon remains very active over the state. The low-pressure area that had formed over Gangetic West Bengal has since weakened and moved westwards towards Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Yet, light rain and thundershowers are still likely to continue over Kolkata and the surrounding districts for the next few days. For the next 24 hours, the local forecast for Kolkata predicts a generally cloudy sky with light rain or thundershowers. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 33 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively. Relative humidity remains high, with a maximum of 95 per cent and a minimum of 79 per cent, contributing to the sultry conditions. Between 6.30 am on Saturday and the same time on Sunday, the city recorded only 0.2 mm of rainfall. Despite the relative calm in Kolkata, several parts of Bengal have yellow alerts issued for them. Multiple alerts were issued through Sunday morning and noon for thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph, for East and West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, and parts of North Bengal such as Malda, North and South Dinajpur, and North Dinajpur. The warnings are valid for three-hour windows throughout the day, urging residents to take caution, particularly in open or poorly sheltered areas. Although no severe weather has been forecast for Kolkata, officials advise residents to remain aware of shifting conditions as the monsoon trough remains active. While the sunshine on Sunday offered a temporary break from the rain-soaked days, the IMD suggests that scattered showers will continue through the week. Urban residents should stay alert for minor disruptions, including waterlogging and localised thunderstorm activity, especially in the evenings. Shambhavi Pandey is an intern with The Indian Express.
Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Indian Express
A bridge split down the middle, a viral video, and a treacherous route to school through river Banai
For 20 days now, Pawan Singh has been following a new and treacherous route while taking his three children to school. Each day, they walk four kilometres to the 'broken bridge', then down a mud path to the bank of the river Banai. From here, he hoists one child on his shoulder, wades through the river, drops the child on the other side, and then comes back for the others. Exhausted, he returns home, only to repeat the process hours later when it's time to bring them home. 'It has become a daily battle,' Singh, a resident of Khunti district's Angrabari, tells The Indian Express. 'I cross the river 12 times a day.' Singh isn't the only one having to cross the river like this. For the last 20 days, many residents living around the river have followed a similar routine after heavy rain caused a bridge over it to split right in the middle, leaving a 25-foot gap. The bridge was part of the National Highway-75, connecting Khunti to Simdega and further to Odisha. The incident, on the morning of June 19, has left hundreds stranded on both sides, with incessant rain and the swelling river aggravating the situation and making the crossing deadly. 'Water now rises to our chest, but we don't have a choice,' Singh says. 'The alternate route is a 15-km detour through Chatkanda and Kunjla Mod. It's just not feasible.' Jharkhand has been witnessing heavy rain in the past month, seeing its wettest June in 11 years. The state saw a whopping 348.9 mm of rainfall — 84 per cent more than the monthly average of 189.5 mm. The heavy rain caused the bridge, constructed in 2007 at an estimated cost of Rs 1.25 crore, to split into two. It also caused one part of the road to sink, making it hang dangerously. As a result of the collapse, traffic has been diverted through another route, the NH-143. But for villagers, this change comes at a steep price. For one thing, it means spending more on transport. 'Earlier, the school auto used to charge Rs 500 per month, but now it's Rs 1,000. Not everyone can afford that,' another parent, Dashrath Mahto, says. For another, the alternate route is frequently used by heavy vehicles, making it more dangerous for pedestrians, the residents say. With the bridge now split in half, no school buses come to the area, forcing students from the nearby Rodo, Sungi, Angrabari, Bichana, Saridkel, Japud, Jaltanda, and Gamhariyam villages to take the more dangerous route – the river. 'We leave home at 6:30 am and reach the school some 4 km away around 7:30 am. But on days the water levels are high and the currents are strong, we're forced to take a longer route. That's 30 kilometres up and down,' Mahto, who takes turns with another parent to drop the kids to school, says. Locals had initially come up with a different solution: they had placed a bamboo stepladder from the sunken part of the road up to the other side of the bridge. A video that went viral soon after the collapse showed some older schoolchildren climbing the ladder, which wobbled dangerously under their weight. 'We used it to carry our children on our shoulders and climb up,' Mahto says. 'Later, the police and district administration ordered its removal, saying it was too risky. But isn't the situation even more dangerous now?' Local residents claim they have approached the administration several times. On its part, Khunti Deputy Commissioner R Ronita says that the Pelol bridge collapse was caused by 'extreme rainfall'. 'Khunti received over 360 mm of rain in just three days — well above the district's average. The structure split in the middle, making it unsafe for movement… Tender process for repair is underway, and work is expected to begin soon,' she says. 'It is not a National Highway, but part of State Highway-3 (SH-3). Therefore, its construction and maintenance fall under the Road Construction Department (RCD) of the Jharkhand government, specifically under the PWD Khunti Division,' Mukund Attarde, the project director of the National Highways Authority of India, Jharkhand, tells The Indian Express. Officials at the PWD division did not respond to calls and messages seeking a comment. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
