Panaji: Goa’s mango and cashew plantations are witnessing robust flowering this season, thanks to the prolonged cool winter conditions that horticulture experts say could result in an increase in yields compared to last year.According to the Goa State Horticulture Corporation Ltd (GSHCL), the extended cool period played a crucial role in promoting uniform and profuse flowering. “Based on field observations and current crop conditions, we expect an overall increase of nearly 20% in mango and cashew yields across Goa this season,” said GSHCL managing director, Chandrhas Desai.
Farmers across different regions reported encouraging signs in their orchards. Rajesh Dhargalkar, a farmer from Siolim, said flowering was noticeably better than last year. “I’m expecting a moderate crop, not a bumper one, but there will be more mangoes in the market compared to last year,” he said. He attributed the improvement largely to cold weather conditions. “Because of the severe cold, the flowering is good. Earlier, people were saying that because rainfall was excessive and very late, flowering would be delayed. But what actually happened was that flowering came early, got affected by rain, and then quickly came again without wasting much time,” he said.Similar observations were shared by Valpoi-based farmer Nestor Rangel, who noted that this winter differed significantly from recent years. “The rains stopped by Oct, and in Dec we got a few days of cold temperatures followed by hot weather. That combination most probably induced profuse flowering,” he told TOI.“Lack of watering or a spell of cold weather helps trigger flowering. The extra cold days—relative to Goa’s normal conditions—compared with last year seem to have helped,” he added. Based on discussions with other growers, he estimated yields could be at least 50% higher than last season in Valpoi.
