The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Uttarakhand): A significant study conducted by Climate Trends has highlighted a severe decline in fruit yields in Uttarakhand over the last seven years due to climate change. The most affected have been temperate fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, plums, and apricots, which have seen both area and yield reductions.
Temperate fruits, traditionally cultivated in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas, have been the hardest hit, with apple production areas declining by more than half from 25,201.58 hectares in 2016-17 to 11,327.33 hectares in 2022-23, alongside a 30% reduction in yield. Lemon varieties have also suffered, experiencing a 58% yield decrease.
In contrast, tropical fruits like mango and litchi have displayed greater resilience. Despite significant reductions in cultivation area—49% for mango and 42% for litchi—the production declines have been more modest, at 20% and 24% respectively.
The study attributes these changes to the warming climate, especially increased winter temperatures in the Himalayan region, which disrupt the essential cold periods needed for fruit development. Dr. Pankaj Nautiyal from ICAR-CSSRI notes that insufficient winter chills and reduced snowfall have disrupted traditional growth cycles, particularly affecting bud break and flowering.
The changing climate has prompted farmers to adapt by shifting towards more heat-tolerant tropical fruits or experimenting with new cultivation techniques like high-density planting, which has proved successful for mangoes in Uttarkashi.
Dr. Subash Nataraja of ICAR-IARI emphasized the urgency of adopting climate-resilient practices and further studying the long-term impacts of climate on agriculture to safeguard the future of horticulture in the region.