Fall in yield,kinnows to be costlier this season

The horticulture department confirms the fears. “The yield has dropped from 22 tonnes per hectare last year to 20 tonnes per hectare this year. Add to it that in the month of September,the trees go for another round of fruit dropping to maintain their weight. The exact dip in the yield will be,therefore,known only next month,” said Director,Horticulture,Dr Lajwinder Singh Brar.

According to the department,excessive heat in the month of May followed by hailstorm in June and July damaged more than 25 per cent of the kinnows in Ferozepur,Abohar and Muktsar belt — which account for more than 70 per cent of the fruit yield in Punjab.

Kinnows from Punjab are not only sent to the entire country but also find a place in the export markets as well. This year,however,consumers are going to feel the pinch. At Kallar Khera village,Tejwinder Singh Aulakh,a farmer who grows the fruit in over 100 acres of land,said: “In June and July,due to sudden weather changes,one-fourth of the raw fruits dropped. At many villages in Seeto belt,the entire field has been damaged. Last year,we had sold kinnows at the rate of around Rs 18 per kg,but this year the price will not be less than Rs 30 per kg.”

The prices are going to be steep even as the acreage of kinnows have registered a rise: from 39,000 hectares last year to 42,000 hectares in the state.

Sanjeev Godhara,another farmer growing kinnows on over 250 acres,said: “The damage to the fruit has been massive. The price of the fruit will be on the higher end.”

There is another reason for the fall in the yield. A good number of kinnow trees is in the grip of citrus canker that significantly affects the vitality of the trees,causing leaves and fruit to drop prematurely.

Though PAU scientists are studying the disease,as of now spray is the only answer which is little effective,said Aulakh.

He said: “The affected fruits are not juicy enough and fetch less price. Farmers are taking measures on their own to fight the disease as the fruit is anyway less in quantity.”