Unfavourable weather hits 15 pc orange crop in Nagpur, India

Known for its rich taste world over, the Nagpur santara (orange) is likely to be in short supply this year as about 15 per cent of the fruit crop has been damaged due to rising heat and untimely hailstorm.

"Rising heat in the month of March and off season hailstorm recently has damaged about 15 per cent of the orange in and around Nagpur," V J Shivankar, Director of National Research Centre for Citrus (NRCC)-- an arm of Indian Council of Agricultural Research-- told PTI over phone.

Citrus crops (Neebu, Moushami and Orange) is grown in about 1.5 lakh hectare areas in and around Nagpur. The hailstorm caused fruits, still in the nascent stage, to fall off and caused black patches on those left on the trees.

"If Carben dezim fungicide is not sprinkled on the trees within a week further damage to the fruit is expected," Shivankar added.

Average production of orange is around 10 tonnes per hectare in the region, which is far less as compared to USA, Brazil, Israel, Spain and South Africa, Shivankar added.

"Ambia Bahar" variety of the orange is grown in the area around this time of the year. Flowering of this variety starts in February and fruiting starts from April onward. It is harvested around the month of September.

Unlike the past, temperature has risen to around 40 degrees celsius as early as March in the citrus growing region of Vidarbha this year, Shivankar said, adding the trend indicated further intensification of the summer, which is not good for the citrus crop.

Also, receding water table in the area has resulted in drying of many a citrus crop orchards in the region, he added.

The NRC Director said that efforts were underway to increase productivity to around 15 tonnes an hectare through further mechanisation of the production of the crop in the region, Shivankar said.

Nagpur orange, which dominates the domestic market, is also exported to Arabian countries, Bangladesh and Singapore.