Rain accompanied by high-velocity winds and hailstorm in the past few days has caused massive damage to kinnow fruit. The variation in day and night temperature is causing high dropping of the fruit in orchards.

Some orchardists said they were expecting a bumper crop this season, but the weather vagaries had damaged the growing crop by nearly 30 per cent.

Balwinder Singh Tikka, a state awardee kinnow grower from Abulkhurana village, said, “I was expecting two-quintal fruit per plant this season after two years. The weather vagaries have led to dropping of kinnow balls of nearly 10-15 kg per plant.”

“At this stage, the fruit requires above 40 degrees temperature at day time. As the temperature is much less, kinnow droppings have increased. Usually, there is no rain in May, but this year the scenario is altogether different,” he said.

“Our input costs have increased as the hailstorm damaged the fruit at some places, which will bring the price down. Earlier, the green-coloured kinnow balls were sold for Rs 50 per kg, but the contractors from Himachal Pradesh have not come so far,” said Tikka.

Mohit Setia, a kinnow grower from Sappanwali village in Fazilka district, said, “The kinnow dropping has doubled this season. If we don’t get better prices in October and November, we will suffer losses. The price of fuel, fungicides and daily wage has increased. A number of orchardists have switched to the traditional wheat-paddy cycle. If the fruit growers do not get good price, some more will switch to traditional crops.”

Kuljit Singh, Assistant Director, Department of Horticulture, Muktsar, said, “The kinnow dropping is not a new thing. It happens every year when the fruit is in its setting stage. There may be some loss to the growers, but it will be wrong to say that nearly 30 per cent of the fruit has dropped.”

Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com