Alirajpur (Madhya Pradesh): The availability of the renowned 'Noor Jahan' variety of mangoes grown in Madhya Pradesh's Alirajpur district may take a hit this summer due to unseasonal rains and hail in the region, a leading horticulturist associated with its cultivation said on Monday.
A vast majority of trees bearing this mango, thought to be of Afghan origin, are found in Katthiwada area of Alirajpur, some 250 kilometres from here, on the border with Gujarat.
"This time all the trees had flowered and we were expecting a sizable stock of Noor Jahan mangoes, However, unseasonal rains and hailstorm have destroyed the flowers, which will bring down availability of the produce to almost nil," Ishaq Mansuri, a Katthiwada-based mango horticulture expert, said.
"Each Noor Jahan mango weighs around 3.5 kilograms and the demand annually is so high that sometimes the entire stock is booked in advance at very high rates. The flowers appear between January and February and the fruit is ready for sale by June," he said.
