Severe heatwave hits tomato, mango production; prices surge to over Rs 100 a kilo

Due to an unusual heatwave sweeping the country this year, the tomato and mango production has been severely hit. The mango prices have jumped beyond Rs 100 a kilo in many parts of the country while tomato prices have also soared to Rs 100-120 per kg in some places.

Uttar Pradesh, the largest mango producer, is witnessing the lowest yield in two decades, with over 80 percent of the crop being damaged due to the heatwave. UP has a 23.47 percent share in India’s total mango production. While domestic prices have soared, the low production is also expected to hurt India's exports.

The scorching heat of the early summer this year has severely affected the production of mangoes and tomatoes. According to Shriram Gadhave, president of the Vegetable Growers Association of India, the heatwave has caused the tomato flowers to dry up, which is impacting production. He also said that due to the change in climatic conditions, pest attack on tomato crop has also gone up, Economic Times reported. He said that an area that yielded 10 tonne of tomatoes earlier is now yielding only 3 tonne.