Love of mangoes
Like almost every sphere of life, climate change is taking a toll on the 'King of Fruits' too.
The setting sun, dying music and the sweet served last after dinner are the sweetest. We can safely add mango to this list. Pakistan is among the top producers of this fruit and it also brings in precious foreign exchange for the country.
In two years, 2014-15 and 2015-16, Pakistan earned $94.059 million through the export of mangoes. Like almost every sphere of life, climate change is having its toll on mangoes too. According to growers and horticulture experts, this year a substantial decline in mango production in Sindh is expected.
It is being attributed to weather patterns induced by climate change. An extended winter, unusual summer rains, winds and hailstorms are factors that have adversely affected the crop. There is good news as well.
Mangoes are gaining lost ground in the province as farmers who had converted their mango orchards into agricultural fields are now replanting mango orchards. An important reason for this is that farmers were not getting good returns on cotton and sugar cane.
The Sindh Horticulture Research Institute has assessed around 25-30 per cent decline in crop production in its 2019 survey. The most affected is to be the Sindhri variety. This year the arrival of this variety has been delayed.
It is usually available in the market by the third week of May; now it is expected to be available by the first week of June. Water shortage is one of the important issues affecting mango orchards. Where a sufficient quantity of water is available, growers are getting a good crop.
People from all strata of society love mangoes. Zahid Ali Khan, a cousin of Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar’s, would ask people from the beginning of April whether the Alphonso mango had arrived in the market. This variety hits the market sometimes in April. Zahid Ali Khan was a diabetic.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2019.
In two years, 2014-15 and 2015-16, Pakistan earned $94.059 million through the export of mangoes. Like almost every sphere of life, climate change is having its toll on mangoes too. According to growers and horticulture experts, this year a substantial decline in mango production in Sindh is expected.
It is being attributed to weather patterns induced by climate change. An extended winter, unusual summer rains, winds and hailstorms are factors that have adversely affected the crop. There is good news as well.
Mangoes are gaining lost ground in the province as farmers who had converted their mango orchards into agricultural fields are now replanting mango orchards. An important reason for this is that farmers were not getting good returns on cotton and sugar cane.
The Sindh Horticulture Research Institute has assessed around 25-30 per cent decline in crop production in its 2019 survey. The most affected is to be the Sindhri variety. This year the arrival of this variety has been delayed.
It is usually available in the market by the third week of May; now it is expected to be available by the first week of June. Water shortage is one of the important issues affecting mango orchards. Where a sufficient quantity of water is available, growers are getting a good crop.
People from all strata of society love mangoes. Zahid Ali Khan, a cousin of Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar’s, would ask people from the beginning of April whether the Alphonso mango had arrived in the market. This variety hits the market sometimes in April. Zahid Ali Khan was a diabetic.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2019.