HYDERABAD: Considerable losses are reported in mango orchards this season, forcing contractors in several cases to revoke their contracts with the orchard owners.

The contractors cancelled the deals anticipating lower harvest amid factors of disease, heatwave, fruit’s shedding and water shortage.

Annual contracts of mango orchards is a normal phenomenon in Sindh rather a strong trend among growers as most owners do not manage their orchards and let them out. Some growers, however, still maintain orchards themselves and in a progressive manner.

“I cancelled two contracts for mango orchards in Hyderabad (rural) taluka,” shares Mohib Ali, alluding to his Rs15m and Rs3.5m contracts for 40-acres and 15-acres of orchards. “Both orchard owners want me to continue handle orchards, but I doubt that I will be able to reap a better produce,” he says.

He made part payment of Rs3.7m against Rs15m and Rs1m against Rs3.5m contract. “But I find it hard to honour the contracts and bear with loss of part payment because fruit is hit by disease,” he says while observing that weather conditions did not go down well for that orchard.

His assessment was that when dew visited mango trees, it did not dry subsequently. “Then came shedding due to high velocity winds in the last week of April. So, I doubt it will give better returns. If I paid remaining contractual amount, I won’t be able to recover it form the orchards given its present health,” he asserts.

Still, he tried to make some recoveries in terms of money by despatching four vehicles with 1,110 boxes of 10kg each unripe mangoes of multiple varieties like Sindhri or Saroli - fell due to high velocity winds – to Peshawar while using calcium carbide for ripening process. “Rest of unripe mangoes will be used for sweet chooran [digestive or aromatic powder] consumed by children. It’s market price remains invariably Rs4,500 to Rs5,000 a maund,” he informs.

Sajjad Memon preferred cancelling his Rs4m contract for 20-acres orchard in Sanghar district even after making 30pc payment (or Rs1.3m out of Rs4m). He did it after water shortage dealt a severe blow to fruit’s health in the orchard. “Shortage of irrigation water at crucial stage means loss in productivity,” he says.

He got the contract last year in August and invested in terms of fertilizer and sprays. Still, the disease did not subside. Subsequent weather conditions especially water shortage left negative implications on trees. More investment by him in terms of annual labour’s cost, wooden boxes’ purchase or miscellaneous expenditures during picking would be additional burden. And he does not expect a better harvest awaits him. So, he believes, it is better to end it here and settle for small losses. “Orchard owner is giving me a favour of Rs0.5m which doesn’t work mathematically for,” he says.

Contractors like Asghar Pitafi are lucky in some respects. He is able to save multiple contracts involving Rs30m because of sweet groundwater availability in orchards. “Otherwise my friends have borne losses in same area due to water shortage and fruit shedding,” he says.

Old orchard owners like Nadeem Shah in Matiari know how to save orchard against high velocity winds. He points out that orchards protected by windbreakers always report lesser losses in shedding which takes place usually. He adds that “older orchard owners grow desi (local) variety of mango trees like Chaunsa on boundaries of orchards which serve as wind breakers”.

He says that such varieties have unusual height with massive growth of thick branches/leaves to absorb high velocity wind against fruits,” he explains. He let out his 16-acres orchard also. “My contractor managed to salvage crop as I had sweet groundwater that enabled me to offset water shortage impact. Shedding is there but crop remains healthy,” he says.

Dad Mohammad Baloch, principal scientist/director mango of Horticulture Research Centre Mirpurkhas, subscribes to Nadeem’s view, saying that those orchards reported lesser losses where windbreakers exist. He assesses 10pc losses were reported due to fruit shedding.

Baloch said that disease factor and abnormal temperatures affected fruit, too. He mentioned that 17 to 23 degree Celsius temperature was ideal for fruit during February when flowering and fruit setting process begins. “But hopper pest attacked trees after fruit setting,” he adds.

Syed Mahmood Nawaz Shah notes widespread shedding of full size fruit due to gusty winds with a speed of 50km an hour recorded at his farm’s weather station in Tando Allahyar, hub of mangoes. “Massive shedding triggered decline in price trend in market i.e., Rs50 per 40kg from Rs700 a day before. It is simply substantial loss,” he says. Fruit, he says, fell as it was in full size with 350 gram of average weight.

According to his assessment, after prolonged winter temperature rose in February unusually, farmers caught unprepared especially those who did not use advanced fungicides in trees. “Hopper blackened both fruit and mango tree to weaken fruit’s knob with the result that fruits fell amidst higher wind velocity”, he observes. Growers who had applied precautionary sprays against hopper would have better harvest and their orchards are still in healthy outlook, he adds.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2022