Cyclone Tauktae destroys mango orchards in Gujarat, farmers say 'season may end early'

Aerial view of an area in Gujarat affected by Cyclone Tauktae

Cyclone Tauktae has affected several mango producing districts of Gujarat, where it made landfall during the late hours of May 17. The destruction of mango plantations may lead to a premature end of the mango season in Gujarat.

Arun Karmur, assistant director of horticulture in Junagadh, told The Indian Express that cyclonic winds had damaged mango and coconut orchards in Gir Somnath and Amreli districts of Gujarat.

"High-velocity winds have caused fruits to fall down in Talala and parts of Junagadh also. We are surveying the damage," Karmur added.

Read | Cyclone Tauktae: Changing trend in cyclone frequency, intensity in Arabian Sea

Karmur further said that mango orchards in Una, Kodinar and Gir Gadhda taluka have also sustained large-scale damage.

Speaking to the newspaper, Mansukh Parmar, owner of a mango orchard spread over 40 bigha in Talala, said the cyclone brought the mango harvesting season to a premature end for him.

Notably, Talala and adjoining areas are famous for the Kesar variety of mangoes.

"I harvested around 30 quintals of mango and just as the harvest was peaking, Tauktae came. Due to the storm, around 65 quintals of unripe mangoes fell down. While an estimated five quintal fruits survived the storm, they are much smaller in size so won't fetch a good price," Parmar said.

This practically means, the season will be over for me in a couple of days, he added.

Besides mango, orchards of coconut and plantations of papaya and beetle leaf have also been damaged in the region, the news report suggests.

The Gujarat government on May 21 initiated a comprehensive survey to assess the impact of Cyclone Tauktae and subsequent loss of life and property, including damage to crops, in the affected districts of the state.

As per government data, as many as 79 persons were killed due to the cyclone in Gujarat. The state government had shifted around 2.5 lakh persons to safer places ahead of the cyclone's landfall, and approved a daily cash dole of Rs 100 for each adult and Rs 60 for each child (who were shifted), for a period of seven days.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also visited the cyclone-hit areas in Amreli and Gir-Somnath district and announced compensation for the affected people after conducting a survey of the losses on May 18.

In Pictures | Cyclone Tauktae: PM Narendra Modi, double-masked, conducts aerial survey of devastation in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after conducting an aerial survey of cyclone-affected districts of Gujarat, had announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore to carry out "immediate relief activities".

Later, the Gujarat government approved a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the kin of those who died in various incidents related to the cyclone.

Rupani had also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for those who were injured due to the cyclonic storm. This compensation is in addition to the central government's assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured persons.