Experts link dip in Karnataka’s mango output to climate crisis
Karnataka is witnessing a reduction in mango yield for the third time in a row. In 2021, the reduction was close to 60-70% after heavy rainfall.
Horticulture experts and the farmers have said that climate change is the main reason behind the drastic drop in mango production this season.
With a reduction in yield of close to 50%, the mango farmers in the state are staring at another lean year. This year, production of around 0.7-0.8 million tonnes of mango is expected as against the 1.5 million tonnes yield in a normal year. Further, the peak season this year is expected to be around mid-May or early June, which is also later than the usual season. Karnataka is witnessing a reduction in the yield for the third time in a row. In 2021, the reduction was close to 60-70%.
According to horticulture experts, the prolonged rainfall last year increased moisture in the soil and delayed flowering. “Usually, flowering takes place in November-December, but it did not happen in most places, and it took place in January and February. The moisture in the water has been one of the reasons for this,” said SV Hittalmani, who retired as additional director (fruits) in the state horticulture department.
The expert pointed out that the December rains were unusual in Karnataka, and dry soil is needed for a good amount of flowering. But for the past two years, several parts of south Karnataka have been witnessing an increase in the amount of rain in December.
Since 2000 till 2018 or 2019, Karnataka has been under drought for 15 of the 18 years. But things have changed, and some parts of the state even experienced floods. Prof MB Rajegowda, agrometeorologist and former Registrar, University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS), explained that in Karnataka, normal rainfall during the South-West Monsoon is in the range of 850-870mm. For the past couple of years, the state has seen normal or above normal rainfall.
The imbalance in mango flowering patterns caused by the high moisture content in soil is the main reason for the decline in mango yield in the state this year, Hittalmani added.
In Karnataka, mango orchards are spread across 180,000 hectares of land in Kolar, Ramanagara, Chikkaballapura and parts of the Bengaluru rural district in the south Karnataka region and Dharwad and Belagavi in the northern Karnataka region.
K Srinivas Gowda, president of the Chikkaballapura Mango Growers’ Association, said that the results of climate change are not limited to the unusual rains. According to him, while the past two years witnessed unusual rains, in the three years before that, Chikkaballapura witnessed drought-like conditions. “There was hardly any rain. In a way, for the mango cultivation, such a weather pattern is good because for getting a good yield the temperature at night should be very low, and it should be high during the day. While the dry conditions helped during those years, it is having its effects now,” said Gowda.
He explained that when the state received excessive rain last year there was vegetative growth instead of flowering. “It is simple. Because there was a draught earlier, this time when the trees got water and nutrients, they used those for the growth of the plant, like getting branches and leaves. In other words, it is used for the tree to grow than create fruits. This is also another effect of climate change,” he said.
State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL) officials also pointed out that a slump in hermaphrodite flowers, key for a good yield, was observed in mango trees. To promote the sale of mangos which saw a slum during the pandemic, KSMDMCL has organised a buyer-seller meet in Bengaluru. As part of the initiative, top traders from North India visited the mango plantations in and around Bengaluru and in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, said officials.