Hailstorm affects mango farmers

The mango belt in and around the Uttar Pradesh capital has been badly affected in Monday's hailstorm and has dampened farmers' hopes of a bumper harvest.

Winds at the speed of 50 to 60 kilometers an hour that lashed parts of the state flattened trees and littered the ground with unripe mangoes, much to the disappointment of fruit producers, agriculture department sources said today.

The orchards in Mall, Malihabad, Kakori, Mohan and Rahimabad around the state capital were littered with fallen unripe mangos that later flooded fruit markets and were selling ar a meagre Rs 5 per kilogram, sources said.

Farmers' hopes of making up for their losses due to last year's they hoped to make up for their losses but the hailstorm dashed their hopes, last last year too the mango crop was poor and sources said.

Experts have estimated the hailstorm had destroyed about 15 per cent mango crop.

"Another hailstorm and we will be ruined," said Anwar Khan, a mango orchard owner in Malihabad.