Low temperature and rain in the first week of January cheered mango growers in the fruit belt of Malihabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Known for cultivation of Dussehri mango, Malihabad is all set for a bumper crop this year. According to growers, production is expected to rise 70-80 per cent this year. The past two years have been dull for dussehri in fruit belt of Kakori and Malihabad in UP.
According to Padam Shree award winner mango grower Kaleemullah, rain in January first week destroyed the pest that were harmful for mango trees and now the flowering assures us of a good crop. He said flowering has begun with the rise in the temperature. The state horticulture department, too, is expecting production to be at least 2.5 million tonnes in the Malihabad and surrounding regions this year. According to Kaleemullah, due to bumper production, prices are likely to fall too.
The season of Dussehri mango begins in the last week of May and continues till June end. Last year, fungus had destroyed mango crop not only in Malihabad region but in other growing districts such as Saharanpur, Faizabad, Muzaffarnagar, Sandila and Sultanpur. The total production of mango in Uttar Pradesh was reduced to just 1 million tonnes.
However, growers of Malihabad are also expecting an increase in the export of dussehri this year. According to them, despite poor crop last year the export had risen as traders from Mumbai had taken interest. This time the growers are planning to approach exporters well in advance for orders.