Litchi Cultivation

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Context

• In Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, litchi farmers are grappling with a severe crisis due to the adverse effects of high temperature and scorching westerly winds on litchi cultivation.

Doom for Litchi Farmers

• The combination of high temperatures and hot westerly winds has created an inhospitable environment for litchi fruit growth.
• This situation compounds the worries of farmers who had already observed low flowering this year due to unpredictable weather patterns.
• As a consequence, a significant portion of litchi is now falling off prematurely.

Extent of Litchi Cultivation

• Litchi orchards cover vast areas in Muzaffarpur and across the state, comprising nearly 40% of India's litchi production.
• The significant contribution of litchi cultivation to the local economy underscores the urgency of addressing the challenges faced by farmers in the region.

Litchi in India

• India ranks second in the world in production of Litchi production after China.
• In India, Litchi is grown in almost 83 thousand hectares of area with a production of 75 lakh metric tonnes.
• Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand are the major litchi growing states of the country.

• It can be grown on variety of soil. Deep, fertile, well drained, medium texture soil is suitable for litchi cultivation. pH of soil should be 7.5 to 8. Litchi crop cannot tolerate high pH and saline soils.
• Litchi is commercially propagated by Air-Layering method. Seed propagation is not common one and takes long time for tree establishment.

Air layering is a method of propagating new trees and shrubs from stems still attached to the parent plant.

SOURCE: DOWN TO EARTH