Punjab: Kinnow production to fall by 25% due to lack of canal water and hot temperatures

Punjab: Even though the producers are getting higher prices this season, Punjab, a key producer of the kinnow crop in the nation, is anticipated to see at least a 25% reduction in the output of the citrus fruit.

The orchardists attribute the decreased output this year's early going to an acute shortage of canal water and surprisingly greater temperatures during the crop's blossoming stage.

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Punjab is the nation's top producer of kinnow fruit

With about 12 lakh metric tonnes of annual production and 59,000 hectares of land under the crop, Punjab is the nation's top producer of kinnow fruit.

In Punjab, the harvesting of kinnow—a cross between king and willow leaf mandarins—begins in December and lasts through the end of February.

The largest district in the state, Abohar, has a maximum of 35,000 hectares planted with the kinnow crop. According to a representative of the Punjab Horticulture department, it is also grown in Hoshiarpur, Muktsar, Bathinda, and a few more districts.

Balwinder Singh, nodal officer (citrus) in the horticulture department, predicted a reduction in kinnow production of about 25% this year.

The yield of kinnow is projected to be nine lakh MT as opposed to the typical output of 12 lakh MT, Singh noted.
According to orchardists, Abohar, where the most land is planted in the kinnow crop, will see a minimum 50% decrease in production.

However, the official predicted that the crop in other places would likely produce at a typical rate.

According to the producers, a major portion of the Abohar district was unable to receive an adequate amount of canal water for irrigation between February and May.
The sudden high temperature in March during the blossoming period came as a shock to the farmers, who were already struggling to find enough water to irrigate their fruit harvest.

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Several farmers reported having to uproot their plants

Due to the dual effects of the high temperature and lack of water for irrigation, several farmers reported having to uproot their plants.

According to Pardeep, who cultivates kinnow on more than 100 acres of land in the village of Gidderanwali in the Abohar region, "high temperature during the blossoming stage was the key cause behind the decline in output."

Pardeep claimed he himself uprooted his fruit tree, which was 10 years old. After four to five years, a kinnow plant starts to produce fruit.

Ajit Sharan, a different kinnow farmer, stated: "The crop in Abohar is expected to decline by roughly 50% to 60%. The crop's blossoming was hampered by the up to 10 degree temperature increase in March ".

On 100 acres of land in the Abohar village of Ramgarh, Sharan also raises fruit.
In February, the blossoming stage begins, and it lasts until March.

According to the growers, as crop harvesting in Abohar has begun, farmers are earning greater returns of Rs 25 to Rs 29 per kg, depending on the crop quality, compared to Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kg previous season.

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