Why is pink guava losing its colour?
Famous for its pink colour and sweet taste, Allahabad Surkha Guava is not only famous in India but all around the world. The uniqueness of this guava variant rightfully earned it a GI tag in the year 2007. But this Guava which is widely found in Prayagraj and Kaushambhi is now scarce to find. The unpredictable weather and heavy rainfall have led to a drastic reduction in the yield this year. Here is why the famous pink guava of India is losing its colour. (image credits- istock)
02/4According to the expert
According to Vijay Kishore Singh, Horticulture, Experiment and Training Center (HETC) in-charge, Khusro Bagh, because of the heavy rainfall, guava trees of the famous ‘guava belt’ of the two districts have flowered quite early this year and though the fruit is available, its quality is poor. The red colour, in the ‘Lal Surkha’ variety of the guava, is no longer as impressive as it should have been”, he said.
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03/4Reduction in production
Since the past four years, the production of both the famous Allahabadi Guava – the ‘Surkha’ and ‘Safeda’ varieties — has failed, leading to an increase in prices.
Singh explained, “The guava trees should ideally start bearing flowers by late October and by mid-December, the fruits start to ripen and owing to the intense fog and chilly winter, the fruit gets its red colour during mid-December to mid-January.”
He added that ideally, the farmers should check the flowering of the fruit during summers by using urea (in mid-May to June) and if the trees do not bear fruits in the rainy season, the winter crops would be healthy. However, the farmers of the district are blaming the government machinery for the failure of their crops yet again. (image credits- istock)READMOREhttps://4d3b65f01428f4fc696a47dc77f2fa65.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlhttps://4d3b65f01428f4fc696a47dc77f2fa65.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
04/4Lack of help
“None of the government officials visited our fields or trained us as to what methods we should apply to save our crop or get healthy harvest because of which the farmers of world-famous ‘Lal Surkha’ and Safeda have not been able to reap the benefits”, said Indrajeet Singh Patel, leader of Allahabadi Surkha Welfare Association.
Several cultivators of guava in the region are now planning alternative means of livelihood.
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