A significant source of revenue and a source of great pride for Pakistanis are their mangoes. However, parasites and harsh weather this season have severely damaged the harvest, which farmers attribute to climate change.
Muhammad Yusuf, a farmer, bemoaned the unpredictable weather while wearing a white and orange scarf around his head in the intense heat.
Following an unusually protracted winter, the nation saw its wettest April in decades, and it is currently enduring a heatwave with highs of 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit).
“Many buds simply died, and the buds didn’t flower on time. Yusuf, who has dedicated half of his life to the cultivation of mangoes, stated that those that began to grow were afflicted with the black hopper parasite.
Yusuf, who is currently over 60, claimed that “climate change has wreaked havoc” in his town.
Pakistan is the fourth-largest mango producer in the world, and about 25% of its GDP comes from the agricultural sector.
Arsalan, who oversees a 900-acre mango plantation in Tando Ghulam Ali, further south, observed the damage as soon as this week’s harvest got underway.
started,”We have production losses of 15 to 20 percent, and the picking has only just started so this figure will surely increase,” stated the 32-year-old.
Arsalan (one name) was informed that exports will be drastically reduced as a consequence.
