Ranchi, April 8: This year, mango lovers have more reasons to savour and dig into the pulpy, juicy fruits.

The state has witnessed a high yield of mangoes with 90,000 tonnes more making its way to the market compared to last year.

Attempt of the farmers to increase the yield of mangoes bore fruit and they are happy with it. The mangoes from the state are set to hit the market by May end though those from south have already made its entry. The varieties grown in the state are amrapali, malda and Bombay Green.

On the other hand, litchis would not be seen in abundance at the markets. The litchi bug has damaged over 30 per cent of the flowers (manjar) leading to a low yield. Last year, the state saw a production of 19,000 tonnes of litchi while this time it is expected to be around 16,000 tonnes, according to the records available with ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region in Ranchi.

“Regular spraying is required to keep the litchis in good state. The lackadaisical attitude of the farmers may be the reason for the low yield this year. They even lack the technical knowhow for the proper production of the fruit,” said Bikash Das, a fruit scientist at ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region.

Drawing a parallel with mango farmers, Das claimed they have been successful in growing the fruit without it being infesting with any insects. “These farmers have adopted plant protective measures to avoid any type of risk for the mangoes but the litchis farmers did not adopt them. The price of litchis is expected to go up due to poor yield,” Das said.