Pakistani mango crop set to recover after last year’s heatwave

Pakistan witnessed an extreme heatwave during last year’s spring months that strongly affected the crop of mangos, the country’s second-largest fruit export after citrus fruits. Mango trees, which are vulnerable to temperature variations during the flowering period, suffered under the unusually high temperatures — up by 3–8 degrees Celsius from the average — causing the 2022/23 harvest to plummet by half. In addition to thermometer readings reaching record highs, mango growers experienced severe water shortages. Although farmers actively pumped groundwater in an effort to protect the trees from heat stress, much of this was unsuitable for agricultural use because of varying salt levels, potentially complicating future plant and fruit growth. Pakistan’s annual mango production averages 1.8 million metric tons, of which approximately 150,000 metric tons are exported. Given last year’s weather challenges, the export target for 2022/23 was reduced by one-sixth to 125,000 metric tons ...