Heat wave dries up litchi production, pushes price

The price of litchi may leave a bad taste in your mouths this summer. The heat wave, irregular rain and storms, have destroyed at least 40-50 per cent of the produce in eastern India, as a result of which prices have skyrocketed.

Rough estimates by traders put the loss at 40-50 per cent in Bihar alone, which supplies 75 per cent of total output. Prices have zoomed to Rs 150-175 per 100 pieces, 300 per cent higher than the normal price.

“Last year, the weather was perfect for litchi. Sufficient rain and cold ensured good pollination. This year, the factors have been adverse,” said Bholanath Jha, a litchi grower from Muzaffarpur in Bihar. “Maximum damage was done in mid May, when the mercury rose to 43-44 degrees Celsius. Most of the fruits were sunburned. A thunder storm two weeks ago, washed away all our hopes.”

According to government sources the heat and thunderstorm destroyed almost 60 per cent of the fruit in Muzaffarpur alone. Other producing areas such as Sitamadhi, Samas-tipur, Vaishali, east and west Champaran, too, were badly hit.

According to agricultural scientists, the loss was highest in shahi litchi, arguably the best quality produced in the state. “We can call the situation bleak,” said S K Purve, senior scientist at the National Litchi Research Centre, Muzaffarpur. “The pollination was good. However, the weather conditions destroyed the fruit. The loss can be 60 per cent in case of this variety. On tje whole, the total loss will be 40-50 per cent. However, we will get the whole picture only after June 15-20, when the season gets over.”