How do you modernise mango farming?

Source: BBC Technology

22 minutes ago
Priti Gupta – Technology Reporter, Mumbai

Bloomberg via Getty Images

India is the world’s biggest producer of mangoes. Even in good years, mangoes are considered one of the most difficult fruit crops to cultivate because they depend on a delicate balance of climate, tree physiology, and farming techniques. Getting that balance right is crucial for India, where 23 million tonnes of mangoes are harvested each year—almost a fifth of the country’s total fruit output.

But for many farmers mango cultivation has become more challenging in recent years.

“Mango farming has become unpredictable,” says Upendra Singh, who farms 16 acres in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh. He is the fourth generation of mango growers in his family and started work on the farm at age 12.
“Seasons no longer follow a pattern. Flowering, fruiting and harvesting all shift every year because of climate change,” Singh, now 62, explains.
“Input costs have gone up—pesticides, labour, irrigation—but yields have gone down. Farmers are spending more money but earning less from mango orchards.”

Upendra Singh has been working on his family’s mango farms since he was 12.

Almost 700 varieties of mango are cultivated across India, each region favouring its own dominant type: Dasheri in the north, Alphonso in Maharashtra, and Langra and Malda in Bihar and West Bengal. Yet few farmers escape the effects of climate change.

“With erratic weather patterns becoming the norm, mango farming is under pressure,” says Dr Hari Shankar Singh, a scientist at the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR).
“Mango is highly temperature‑dependent. Last year, flowering happened early, strong winds affected fruit development, maturity came too fast and much of the crop went to waste. This year, prolonged low temperatures in north India delayed flowering altogether.”

Breeding for resilience

Researchers are developing new mango varieties that tolerate wider temperature ranges and resist pests and disease, but progress is slow—mango trees take 5–10 years to flower after breeding. Moreover, mangoes are heterozygous, so offspring rarely resemble their parents.

“Mango breeding is a multi‑decade scientific commitment, not a quick innovation,” says Hari Singh.

Genetic science is accelerating the process. ICAR led a team that sequenced the mango genome in 2016, focusing on the Alphonso variety.

“Genome sequencing lets us identify genes linked to fruit colour, aroma, sweetness, flowering behaviour, climate resilience and disease tolerance,” explains Singh.
This has significantly reduced the traditional 10‑ to 20‑year breeding timeline.

Indian scientists unraveled the mango gene in 2016.

On‑farm innovations

Farmers are eager to adopt new practices. On his own farm, Upendra Singh has planted a coloured‑mango variety at a higher density than his traditional orchard.

“The biggest advantage of coloured varieties is they bear fruit every year. Traditional varieties like Dasheri and Langda often have off‑years,” he notes.

Modern cultivation techniques also help:

• Scientific pruning, canopy management, and growth regulators – control tree size, induce flowering, and enable early or uniform harvests.
• Bagging – enclosing each developing fruit in a breathable protective cover creates a micro‑environment that reduces insect infestation, fungal disease, mechanical damage, and excessive solar radiation. (Dr T Damodaran, Director of ICAR)
• Girdling – making a narrow, controlled ring cut on selected branches redirects the tree’s energy toward flowering and fruit development.
• Rejuvenation of old orchards by cutting trees to 14–18 feet height dramatically improves flowering, fruit size, and overall grade (Hari Singh).

“Bagging” mangoes improves their quality.

A hobby turned passion

For Neeti Goel, mango farming began as a hobby. Ten years ago she planted a few trees out of curiosity, and her experience mirrors the broader shift toward modern, science‑driven mango cultivation across India.

Mango Cultivation Innovations

Now she has more than 1,100 trees across 27 acres in Alibhaug, Maharashtra.

“Instead of traditional trial‑and‑error farming, we use scientific mango cultivation,” she says.
“We start every season with soil and leaf analysis. Without that, fertilizer application is guesswork, not farming. Micronutrients like boron and zinc play a decisive role in fruit, so ignoring them directly impacts yield.”

Greenhouse Experiments

Her next step could be to move the trees inside.

“We have started building greenhouses so that the temperature can be controlled. If one does not adopt innovative methods we are doomed.”

Saravanan Achari also believes that covering the trees is the way forward. Achari is the founder of Berrydale Foods, which exports Indian mangoes to 13 countries.

Pest Management

Pests are one of its main concerns.

“Export markets demand zero tolerance on pests. Even if inspectors find a single fruit fly, the entire consignment is discarded, leading to huge losses,” he says.

Climate change is making it more difficult to manage pests. Fruit flies appear after rainfall, but climate change is making that rainfall more unpredictable, so pests are appearing at different times of the year.

“Climate change has become the single biggest risk factor for mango exports today,” says Achari.

Moving Toward Protected Cultivation

Achari is experimenting with greenhouses on Berrydale’s farm.

“Countries like Japan and Israel are already using greenhouse and protected cultivation because they face similar climate challenges. Indian farmers will also have to move in this direction if we want consistent quality and reliable exports.”

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