Effects Of Climate Change: Significant Decrease In Mango Production For Third Consecutive Year

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2024) Patron-in-Chief All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (APFVEA) Waheed Ahmed has said that climatic changes have badly impacted mango orchards in the country resulting in a significant reduction in annual yield of fruit for the third consecutive year.

In a press statement issued here on Thursday, Waheed Ahmad said negative impacts on mango orchards have caused a paucity of export-quality mangoes, compelling the exporters to reduce the export target for the current year.

He said that the impact of climate change is having a pronounced negative impact on mango orchards in Pakistan, leading to a significant reduction in production and due to non-availability of export quality mangoes and the export target could not be attained last year as well. This year the export target has been set at 100,000 metric tons, whereas last year the export target was 125,000 metric tons, Waheed explained.

He hoped that through export of 100,000 metric tons of mangoes, valuable foreign exchange of US$ 90 million would be generated.

The export of mangoes will commence from May 20, 2024, he said adding that along with the traditional markets, the focus will be on the value-added market of China, America, Turkey & Japan. He said that Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian states would also play an important role in achieving the export target of mangoes.

He said that the effects of climate change have emerged as the biggest threat to mango production, which can well be gauged from the fact that mango production has declined for the third year in a row. He said that Pakistan produces 18 lac metric tons of mangoes and of that, 70% is produced in Punjab, 29% in Sindh and one percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This year, he said that due to weather effects, the production of mango in Punjab is 35 to 40 per cent, while in Sindh it is less than 20 per cent and thus the total production is feared to be reduced by six lac metric tons.

Waheed Ahmed stated that an estimate was made at the start of production and is likely to increase further as the season progresses.

Expressing serious concern over impact of climate change, Waheed Ahmed stated that climate impacts on the cultivation of fruits including mango and the agricultural sector are increasing every year.

He said that long winters, rains and hail followed by a severe heat wave have changed the pattern of agricultural diseases with the season.

There is certainly a lack of serious efforts at the Federal and Provincial levels to protect the agricultural sector from the effects of climate change, particularly through research enabling the orchards of mangoes and other fruits to develop sufficient endurance to sustain against the tough weather conditions and reduction in disease resistance, he maintained.

Research-based solutions must be found urgently to address this, otherwise mango production and export will be at risk, he opined.

He emphasised that agricultural research centres in the Federal and Provincial governments must work on an emergency basis to help farmers deal with the effects of climate change because the effects of climate change will increase in the coming years until the farmers are provided with research-based solutions.

In order to continue the production and export of mangoes, he said that it is imperative to develop new varieties of mangoes that are compatible with the climatic changes in Pakistan. Similarly, prevention of diseases and supply of suitable agricultural pesticides are also needed to minimize the effects of climate change, he concluded.