Malda, April 15: Mango growers in the district are worried about the lack of rain this year. They fear that more than 50 per cent of green mangoes, the pulp of which has not yet developed, would drop from the trees if it does not rain within a day or two.

There has already been a 15 per cent loss because of low rainfall.

For the mango growers in Malda, this is an “on-year”. In the parlance of the farmers, the yield is high in an “on year”. However, the growers said that although the flowering had been “quite encouraging”, the absence of rain has dampened their spirit.

The president of the Mango Traders’ Association, Subodh Mishra, said: “We are praying for rain. If it rains within 48 hours, we can expect a good yield. A hailstorm, however, may cause further damage to the crop.”

Mishra said he feared a drop in the yield of Malda varieties of Fazli and Ambina. But the production of Langra, Gopalbhog and Himsagar, is expected to be high. Last year, the production of the three varieties had been very poor, he said.

According to the association president, exporters had already started arriving from Mumbai and other cities to place orders.

Malda district mango development officer Samarendra Khanra said he was expecting a total yield of 2.5-3 lakh tonnes of Langra, Himsagar, Gopalbhog and Lakshmanbhog varieties.

“But things have become unpredictable due to the draught-like situation. I have urged the mango growers to spray water on the trees. There has been change in the mindset of the farmers which is appreciable. They have started using compost instead of chemical fertilisers,” said Khanra.

Since mango production in south Bengal is very poor this year, the exporters and traders would largely depend on the Malda crop, the official said.