Hit by poor yield, Wardha orange grower fells 150 trees to raise other crops

Wardha, Jun 6 (PTI) Distressed by poor yield over the last two years, a 30-year-old orange grower from Maharashtra’s Wardha district has chopped down 150 trees to make way for cash crops.

Kishore Banngare of Ghadge village, which is a part of the Orange belt, told PTI that he took the harsh decision with a heavy heart as he had been nurturing the trees for years.

“I had planted 400 saplings on my 3.5-acre orchard nine years ago, expecting decent returns. After five years, the trees bore fruits two to three times. However, erratic rainfall and intense heat shattered my dreams,” said Banngare, who has a diploma in Agriculture.

The young farmer said oranges did not grow on his rain-dependent trees in the past two years, causing him financial losses with increasing cost of production.

“Last year, it rained, but an extremely hot climate followed almost immediately. As a result, there was no yield. Due to unpredictable weather conditions, I am not sure if the trees will bear fruit this season as well,” he said.

Banngare said that he has kept 250 orange trees in the hope that they will give him some return as he has put in money and nine years of hard work into his orchard.

“For my survival, I had to fell 150 trees to grow other crops,” he added.

Manoj Jawanjal, president of Nagpuri Santra Farmers Producer Company, said Banngare’s plight is not an isolated case in Vidarbha, including Wardha district, which doesn't get enough rains.

Unpredictable weather patterns are certainly affecting the orange crop, he said.

Oranges have been falling prematurely, affecting the yield for the past four years, he said.

“In the Chandur Bazaar area in Amravati district, many orange growers used JCB machines to clear their orchards due to poor yield. However, institutions like Sahyadri Farmers Producer Company, Agrovision, and Maha Orange are working towards providing better farming practices and new varieties,” said Jawanjal.

The farmers will have to be a little patient he said, adding that good yield can be achieved with better farming practices. PTI COR CLS NR