Pakistan may be among the top five producers of mangoes in the world, but its production was 50% of what was produced last year. Industry players are now concerned over future yields as climate change and other factors play their role. While there are expectations that this year’s production may be higher, issues facing the industry will continue to haunt mango growers. “I haven’t seen a yield so low since I started working in 1995,” Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters, Importers & Merchants Association (PFVA) Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed told. His comments came after Pakistan registered its lowest production in history last year, amounting to 900,000 tons. “Other veterans of the industry tell me it was the worst in Pakistan’s history.” India, China, Thailand, Mexico and Pakistan are the top producers of mangoes in the world. However, Pakistan could see itself drop out of the list as climate change and water scarcity hinder production. “Winters have been longer for a few years now due to climate change, which has been impacting yield. Moreover, there were frequent hailstorms and strong winds, which forced production of mangoes to drop. There’s water shortages as well. All these have adversely affected not only mango production but agriculture as a whole,” he added. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com