Climate coup: King of mangoes set to lose its crown to kesar

VALSAD: Here is some sour news for mango lovers. Valsadi hafoos (alphonso), considered the king of mangoes, is losing its crown to kesar.
In fact, mango farmers in south Gujarat, which contributes nearly 60% of the total mango produce in Gujarat, say days are not far when Valsadi hafoos may go off the shelves. The vagaries of climate have hit hafoos the most and maintaining a Valsadi hafoos orchard is becoming a costly affair.
This has forced a large number of mango farmers to switch to kesar, whose maintenance cost is half that of hafoos.
Upkeep of a Valsadi hafoos orchard of 2,500 trees costs Rs 22 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for a farmer, while that for kesar is Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.
"Growing Valsadi hafoos is a gamble now. You lose four out of five times because of onslaught of climate changes," said Baalu Desai, a farmer in Navsari.
The influx of Valsadi hafoos in Gadat Agriculture Marketing Co-operative Society (GAMCS) in Navsari, one of the biggest markets of south Gujarat for this particular variety, has declined sharply from 35,000 tonnes a year to just 8,000 tonnes. The share of hafoos has come down to 8% in the total mango produce from 35%.
N L Patel, head of horticulture department, Navsari Agriculture University (NAU), said, "It is a fact that many mango farmers in the region have shifted to kesar. A minor change in temperature leads to immediate withering of flowers and fruits in hafoos." Rajesh Shah, an award winning mango farmer from Kannadu Biliya village in Vapi taluka, said, "After five to six years, one may not know the real taste of Valsadi hafoos.".
Kishore Desai, board member of GAMCS, said, "Hafoos is on the verge of extinction."
"These days having a tree or two (of hafoos) is a status symbol for farmers," said Sanjay Naik, a mango farmer in Gandeva.