Closure of canals, electricity load-shedding, and diesel shortage also affected the mango production.
Pakistan is likely to face a dip in mango production in the ongoing season as the mango crop in southern Punjab has declined by nearly 60%, mainly due to an unprecedented spring heatwave.
Southern Punjab experienced severe temperature variations in the month of March, with temperatures rising to 42 degrees centigrade from March 11 to 17, contrary to an average temperature of 34 degrees centigrade in previous years.
“This sudden temperature rise at a very crucial time for the crop affected the mango fruit to a greater extent,” the Director of the Mango Research Institute (MRI), Abdul Ghaffar Garewal, said, explaining that the flowering stage could not bear the severity of the weather.
Similarly, the temperature in April also remained higher than usual, aggravating problems for the growers, and affecting mango production by nearly 60%.
Other factors contributing to lower mango production
Besides climate changes, several other factors also negatively affected mango production, including:
- Shortage of canal water
- Electricity load-shedding
- Diesel shortage
The mango growers could not irrigate their orchards at the time of fruiting due to the closure of canals. The loss has triggered an outcry among mango orchard owners, who are demanding financial compensation from the government. Although farmers and exporters have varying estimates, they all agree that the mango production and subsequently exports are likely to be badly hit in 2022.
Mango cultivation in Pakistan
Pakistan ranks seventh in the world in terms of area under mango cultivation with a cultivation area of 172,308 acres, producing two million metric tons of mangoes annually, according to the Punjab Agriculture Department. In Punjab alone, 111,432 acres of the area grows mangoes. Out of the total annual production, Punjab alone produces more than 1.3 million metric tons. The mango varieties of south Punjab, especially of Multan and Khangarh farms, are particularly popular in Pakistan and overseas.