With the summer season and the scorching heat, the mango season is here, the quintessential summer fruit. The harvesting of mango has just begun in the states, but farmers in Gujarat fear that Cyclone Tauktae may hit the mango yield. 

In south Gujarat, the farmers are yet to pluck 75% of the mango crop and they are worried about the changing climate at this point, as per a Times of India report. According to the farmers, if it just rains, there will not be much harm but if the cyclone causes heavy rains with strong winds then there will be a lot of damage to the crops.

Agricultural scientists have already warned the farmers. “We have issued an advisory to the farmers to pluck as many mangoes as they can and sell them. If the cyclone results in strong winds then both the ripe as well as unripe mangoes will get hit,” Dr. C K Timbadiya, a senior scientist, was quoted as saying by TOI.

Vinod Desai, a farmer in Valsad who owns 5000 mango trees said that the major harvesting begins after Akshaya Tritiya which was celebrated on Friday, and due to eid the markets were also closed on the weekend. “Farmers were going to start plucking over the weekend and next week,” he added. 

Also read | Cyclone Tauktae: Very heavy rains likely in parts of Konkan, Mumbai

Although after Akhsya Tritiya the retail markets were flooded with mangoes which brought the price down. However, the farmers are still worried that if the crop is damaged, they will not get a good price for the mangoes and the price might shoot up.

According to DK Varu, the head of the department of fruit science, the cloudy atmosphere and rains have caused damage to the crop and it also didn’t allow fruits to mature.

Around 70 to 80% crop is yet to be harvested and if the cyclone hits the state it will cause huge damage.