Gujarat's mango produce loss estimated at up to 35% due to unseasonal rain

Indian Express

08-05-2025

The sudden change in the weather condition in the state has taken a toll on mango crop, which was ready for harvesting in the farms of South Gujarat and Saurashtra. Horticulturists are estimating up to 35 per cent damage of crop, in the Alphonso and Kesar varieties, grown in these regions.
In the middle of peak summer, the state witnessed sudden thunderstorm accompanied by high-speed winds and rain on Monday and Tuesday, causing pre-ripened fruit to fall from trees, leading to significant losses for mango farmers.
State Horticulture Department teams, in co-ordination with Agricultural Department officials, began a survey on Wednesday to assess the losses incurred by farmers due to this natural calamity. Sources in the Horticulture Department told this paper that around 30 to 35 percent of the crops may have been damaged due to the weather conditions in South Gujarat.
In South Gujarat, mangoes are typically cultivated in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and some parts of Bharuch, while in Saurashtra, they are grown in Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Amreli, while the Kesar from Kutch is among the last to be harvested. According to information from the State Horticulture Department, mango farming spans approximately one lakh hectares of land in South Gujarat and around 42000 hectares in Saurashtra. Last year, the yield of mangoes in South Gujarat ranged from 4 to 4.25 tons per hectare, whereas in Saurashtra, it was approximately over 5 percent tons per hectare, according to sources in the State Horticulture Department.
Due to the sudden change in climate witnessed on Monday and Tuesday, several areas in South Gujarat — Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, Dangs, and some parts of Saurashtra —experienced high-speed winds accompanied by light showers. Mango growers in Saurashtra have started plucking the fruit to prevent further damage, say sources.
From Wednesday, Agriculture Department officials, along with gram sevaks at village levels, began conducting a survey in Valsad, Navsari, Surat, and Bharuch to assess the losses incurred by mango growers due to the weather that will take around five days, said officials.
Joint director in the Surat range Horticulture Department in South Gujarat, Dinesh Paladiya, told The Indian Express, 'In South Gujarat, mango is grown on close to one lakh hectares of land, which includes over 36,000 hectares in Valsad, 33,000 hectares in Navsari, 15,000 hectares in Surat, and the remaining areas in Bharuch district. The major variety is Kesar, which accounts for around 60 per cent; Alphonso is grown over 30 percent, with Daseri, Langdo, Rajapuri, Totapuri, etc. making up the rest. Alphonso is primarily cultivated in Valsad. There are over 70,000 farmers in South Gujarat who cultivate mango, and from here, Alphonso and other varieties of mangoes are exported to Western countries.'
'On Monday and Tuesday, due to the high-speed winds and light showers, the ready-to-harvest crop was damaged. The assessment of the loss will be known by the survey. Mangoes had started coming into the market. In some areas, the harvesting will be done in the middle of May. This year, the production is to be ascertained, but the damage may have caused losses between 30 and 35 per cent to the farmers.'
Research scientist Bhupendra Tandel at Aspee College of Horticulture said, 'Through the farmers in Navsari, we have come to know that this time male flowers have appeared in larger numbers than female flowers in mango orchards. Veteran mango growers can tell the difference while we carry out awareness programmes for amateur farmers. No fruit grows from male (flowers).'
He further said: 'We also grow mango in the farms of our education institution, and due to the high speed of winds on Tuesday, over 50 per cent ready-to-harvest mangoes fell from a height and got damaged. Mango traders easily identify fallen fruits, and they don't buy them. Such fruit is used for making mango pulps by different factories in Surat, Navsari, and Valsad.'
Tandel also said, 'The mango fruit is sensitive to climate conditions. If the day temperature is higher than 34 degrees and it is up to 13 degrees in night, male flowers grow more than female in number.'
Talking to The Indian Express, Joint Director of Horticulture Department, Rajkot range in Saurashtra, R H Ladani said, 'After receiving forecasts of light showers and strong winds, we alerted mango growers in Saurashtra, who began harvesting early. About 80 per cent of mango is cultivated is Kesar and 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 beginning of the mango harvesting season. I've been farming mangoes for 30 years, and this year's unseasonal weather, with strong winds, caused over 40 per cent 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.'