Cold, fog dampen mango, cashew hopes

PANAJI: The low temperatures and foggy conditions that 2019 brought forth could pose a threat to the mango and cashew crop, say farmers who expected this year’s yield to be better than last. Their chief concern is about the fruit setting process, that seems to now have been delayed due to low morning temperatures.

“We have experienced fruit drops and the subsequent reflowering three times already this season,” said cashew farmer Shivram Arolkar.“Over the past two weeks, the humidity has been fluctuating, causing difficulties in fruit setting. The cashew crop is affected as a result.”
“Of the total crop, we may lose 50% of the cashew crop if the weather doesn’t regularize,” a cashew farmer from Pernem told TOI. “Currently, mornings are very cold and afternoons extremely hot, resulting in extreme temperatures within a span of hours. The fruit flowers had blackened and drooped during the first flowering, but in the subsequent reflowering process, the fruit setting is getting affected. Fruit prospects appear very bleak.”
The situation for the mango doesn’t appear too bright either.
Jagganath Lawande, a farmer from Ponda, said that fog and dew have persisted in the area over the past two-three mornings, followed by humid noons; a phenomenon that is likely to encourage insect pests.
“The dew is likely to affect the mango crop,” he said. “We have taken preventive measures and sprayed pesticide on the fruit, so hopefully it won’t get infected by pests. This has helped the crop in reaching full fruition without pest attacks in the previous season. However, we are still worried about the overall output of the crop this season, since the flowering process was also affected.”
While the flowering process has almost come to an end for the mango crop, cashew flowering is in its last stages. Farmers further added that they are likely to harvest cashews in another 15-20 days, while mangoes will be harvested by March-end.