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Storms hit UP mango growers

Lucknow: High velocity dust storms and squalls might have given relief to the heat-struck people of Uttar Pradesh but mango growers have been hard hit with over 50,000 tonnes of the delectable fruit falling prey to the gusty winds.

The first dust storm hit the State on May 14 with a speed of 80 km per hour. This was followed by more storms on May 16, 17 and 18, forcing mango growers to sell the king of fruits as low as Re.1 per kg in the open market.

“The mango crop this year was bumper but due to the dust storm over 25 per cent of it has got destroyed. In terms of money, the losses amounted to over Rs.50 crore in Lucknow alone,” a senior official of the Horticulture department said.

“We were expecting good earnings but the dust storm has damaged the crop and we have to sell mangoes at Re.1 per kg in the market,” Mohammad Riyaz, a mango grower in Rahimabad belt, said. “The mangoes sold are being used for preparing pickles as they were not ripe”, he said, adding that if the storm eludes the State in the next two weeks, they might recover some of the losses.

Uttar Pradesh on an average produces mangoes worth over Rs.2,700 crore and all major mango belts including one in Saharanpur, Unnao, Pratapgarh, Bulandshahr, Meerut and Barabanki besides Lucknow have suffered losses due to the storms, the department sources said. “The losses to the mango crop will also adversely affect its export to Singapore, Japan and Gulf countries”, said President of All India Mango Growers Asosciation, Insram Ali. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 34 per cent of India’s mango production. --PTI

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