Foggy conditions that did not last long coupled with less frost this year have brought cheers to the orchard owners who are expecting a bumper crop of mango and litchi.
Their only worry, however, is of storage for which the state government is yet to make arrangements to avoid wastage of tonnes of fruit.
If stored properly, the fruit crop could bring good revenues both to the orchard owners and the state exchequer.
Pathankot, considered a litchi zone, is home to thousands of litchi and mango trees. Farmers from here supply mango and litchi to various parts of the country and abroad during the summer.
"We are very happy as there have been favorable weather conditions so far. There was hardly any damage to the trees in the month of December," said Rajeev Mahajan, a leading orchardist from Pathankot.
"For many years, fog would hit the trees badly. We do not see any damage to leaves this time. We are expecting much better fruit yield this time," he said.
As how they would handle the big crop in the absence of proper cold storage facilities in the town, he said about 20 per cent of the crop would go waste. It was really a matter of great concern to orchard owners, he added.
{{/usCountry}}As how they would handle the big crop in the absence of proper cold storage facilities in the town, he said about 20 per cent of the crop would go waste. It was really a matter of great concern to orchard owners, he added.
{{/usCountry}}"We are talking to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal who has shown interest in the issue," he said.
Mahajan, however, maintained that even as big orchard owners managed their crops, the small orchardists faced more problems when it came to timely transportation and storage of their crop.
FACTS
Farmers have expressed concern that about 20 per cent of their fruit crop would go waste in the absence of proper cold storage facilities in the town