The unusually warm weather in February can damage litchi and mango crops in Bihar if similar weather conditions persist, agriculture scientists have said.
In the past week, the average maximum temperature in Bihar was three to four degrees above normal and the surge in temperature is being recorded at a time when litchi and mango trees are in bloom.
According to scientists, the crop loss could be as high as 40%-60% if hot weather conditions set in early in the state.
“This year, though flowering of the fruits is good, the yielding is expected to be low because of high temperature. Almost every part of the state has been experiencing day temperatures much higher in February than normal. It varies between 30 to 31 degrees, which is normally experienced between the second and third week of March,” said Dr Mohammad Feza Ahmad, associate director of the research wing at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour.
Bihar ranks fourth among mango-producing states in the country, as per the ministry of agriculture, while it is top in litchi production.
This year, almost six lakh hectares in the state is under mango production, which varies from 13 to 15 lakh tonnes per year. Litchi orchards are spread over more than 40,000 hectares and the production varies from 4 to 6 lakh tonnes, experts said.
Anand Shankat, a mango farmer from Tilakpur village near Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district, said, “Normally, mango trees have flowers by Saraswati Puja, but this year, they bloomed much before the festival. But all of them turned black due to cold conditions witnessed in the state during that time. This year, the weather conditions are changing so frequently that farmers are worried about its impact on the crops.”
Ashok Kumar, who works with farmers on government’s agriculture projects, expert said even the litchi crop is expected to be hit due to hot weather conditions.
“The most frustrating thing is that the regional centre of the meteorological department has informed that the state is witnessing temperatures three to four degrees above normal and this weather will continue to prevail for the next few days,” Kumar said.
Agriculture minister Kumar Sarvjeet said issues related to the mango and litchi farmers would be addressed soon.
