Madagascar's lychee growers in crisis as production plummets

The lychee harvest season is under way in Madagascar – the world's top producer of the prized pink fruit – but growers and exporters are facing a major crisis, as forecasts indicate a staggering drop in yields this year. The harvest began on Tuesday, with four refrigerated ships en route to Madagascar's eastern coast to collect the lychees. The island nation supplies the sought-after delicacy to much of the European market during the end-of-year season. But the mood in the country's port city of Tamatave is tense, as industry leaders grapple with the prospect of a steep decline in the crop linked to an unusually early ripening – a shift that could have major economic consequences. "There are several factors that can explain this situation," said Judith Riccati, deputy executive director of the Tamatave Horticultural Technical Centre, which leads agricultural studies on the lychee industry. "Exceptionally high rainfall the first three months of the year – around 2,500 millimetres – ...