Severe drought and high spring-early summer temperatures have cut Indian pomegranate yields and hampered quality so far this year.
Grower-shippers estimate that India’s total crop will be around 30 per cent lower than last year, predominantly due to water shortages.
Xanthomonas disease and plant die back have also affected volumes up to now, exporters said.
“There has been severe drought across all pomegranate growing regions, and this year the summer was too hot which resulted in further water shortages during April, May and June,” GVK Naidu of leading Indian pomegranate grower-shipper Sam Agritech told Fruitnet.
However, growers hope quality and yields will improve from July onwards once the Monsoon season gets underway.
“Monsoon rains have started with scattered showers all over growing regions,” Naidu said, speaking in June. “Hopefully we should be able to get a good quality fruit harvest from July onwards.”
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