Farmers worry as adverse weather threatens lychee crops

This year, lychee has been cultivated on 5,500 hectares of land in Dinajpur

The persistent heat in Dinajpur is threatening this season’s lychee crops.

Farmers say lychee trees were filled with buds at the start of the season, but the heat has caused lychees to fall while they are still small.

Though the Bombay variety of lychees is still in good condition, nearly half the crop of the Bedena, Madrasi, China Three and Kathali varieties are endangered. Farmers are continuing to try different ways to ensure they get a good harvest this year.

Mosaddek Hossain, an orchard owner who produces honey from lychees in Dinajpur, said, “The lychee seeds are falling from the trees due to the strong sunshine and the heatwave. Even with irrigation, the yield cannot be saved. If this situation persists, we won’t produce even half the amount of lychees this time.”

However, Mosaddek noted that the Bombay variety was producing a good harvest. “This variety of lychee buds first and reaches the market first too. These buds saw some rain, which is why the Bombay lychee is good this year.”

Farmers say that Dinajpur – a district known for its lychees – saw a good harvest last year. But lychees can burst in the heat due to over-ripening, causing suffering for farmers. This year, though the lychee trees budded, the adverse weather has had an impact.

Imran Ahsan, assistant horticulture development officer at the Dinajpur Horticulture Centre, said though conditions had been ripe for lychees this year, many had been damaged by the heat.

“The buds of the Bedena, Madrasi, China Three, China Two and Kathali withered and fell. The Bombay lychee buds remained normal. Due to the prevailing weather, there is a high risk that we will not get the desired yield this time.”

Under these conditions, vitamins, fertilisers, and pesticides should be used on the roots of the trees, he said. They should also be watered before the evening.

According to information from the district’s Department of Agriculture Extension, lychee has been planted on 5,500 hectares of land in the district this year. The harvest was expected to produce about 30,000 metric tonnes of the fruit.