Bad weather has hit mango crops in the Indian state of Gujarat, cutting yields by around 80 per cent, according to the Times of India.
Unexpected showers and a cyclone last weekend spelt disaster for the Kesar mango crop in the Talala, Valsad and Navsari growing regions, the paper said.
Reduced flowering caused by a late and mild winter in the Saurashtra area has also compounded mango yield losses in the state, one expert told the Times of India.
“It’s going to be the worst-ever mango season for farmers in south Gujarat. The yield is expected to remain only 10-15 per cent of last year’s produce,” NL Patel, dean of the horticulture department, Navsari Agriculture University (NAU), is quoted as saying.
Ajit Desai, one of the biggest fruit exporters in South Gujarat, who owns Desai Fruit & Vegetable Private Ltd, said: “I don’t think we would be able to export mango from here. We are yet to get the export-quality mangoes from farms.'
