Mango yield is impacted by climate change
Exporters and horticultural specialists warned on Thursday that the major fruit’s production could decline by 600,000 metric tonnes this year due to climate change, which has severely impacted mango yield for the third straight year.
The two states that produce the most mangoes, Sindh and Punjab, account for 29% and 70% of the 1.8 million metric tonnes produced in the country. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) accounts for the remaining 1%.
On the other hand, inclement weather might cut Punjab’s output by 35–40% and Sindh’s by less than 20%.
In a statement released on Thursday, Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (APFVEA) stated that the organization has set an export goal of 100,000 metric tonnes for the current season, which starts on May 20.
He noted that Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asian nations would also be crucial to reaching the mango export goal. This season, in addition to the conventional markets, the focus will be on the value-added markets of China, America, Turkey, and Japan.
“The nation’s mango orchards are suffering from the detrimental effects of climate change, which is leading to a sharp decline in production. The lack of export-quality mangoes made it impossible to meet the export goal last year, according to Ahmed.
Only 100,000 metric tons of the 125,000 metric tonnes that were targeted for export last season were actually exported. The goal has been lowered to 100,000 metric tonnes for this year. The experts estimated that $90 million in foreign exchange would be produced if the goal was met.
Ahmed stated that this year, through Afghanistan, the markets of Central Asia and Iran would be stabilized, and that intense efforts would be made to increase the volume for China’s market, where the export began during the previous season.
Additionally, we intend to increase exports to value-added markets such as America, Japan, and Australia. In cooperation with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Pakistani mangoes will be promoted in Turkey and other Far Eastern nations this season, he stated.
In addition to giving millions of people jobs, the value-added industry, which includes mango processing, packaging, and warehousing, is valued at more than Rs100 billion. Other difficulties facing the industry include growing prices for gas, electricity, and transportation as well as upkeep of gardens, insecticides, and water management.
According to Ahmed, the effects of climate change on the farming industry as a whole as well as the production of fruits, such as mangoes, are growing yearly. The pattern of agricultural illnesses has also changed as a result of long winters, intense rains, and hail that follows heat waves.
The need of research-based solutions to problems was emphasized by Small Growers’ Organization Sindh Agriculture Research Council (SARC) President Ali Palh, Farmer Organizations Council Sindh Chairman Jawaid Junejo, and Senior Vice President Nabi Bux Sathio of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA).
In addition to advocating for the development of new seeds and varieties and the adoption of agri-tech, they also urged for awareness campaigns to provide growers and forward-thinking farmers with up-to-date knowledge on matters such as crop diversity and climate change.
They pushed government organizations to create new mango varieties that were appropriate for the shifting weather patterns in order to increase mango yield and exports. To save agriculture, they also encouraged the government to establish preventive initiatives and guarantee the availability of appropriate pesticides.
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