Severe drought and harsh sunshine in Ishwardi, Pabna, are burning the skins of lychees and turning them dark. Farmers are in trouble with the discoloured, scorched fruit, which they are having to sell cheaply at a loss. In Ishwardi upazila, famous for its lychees, the juicy Bombai lychee is now being picked and marketed, and farmers, orchard owners, traders and wholesalers are all busy selling the crop.

Amid this, gloom has set in as the fierce sun darkens the fruit's skin. Scorched lychees have to be sold for less than half the usual price. Farmers had hoped for a good profit from a good harvest this year, but the last-minute drought damage to the skins will cut their profits considerably.

At Joynagar in Ishwardi, one of the country's biggest lychee markets, discoloured, blackened lychees with burnt skins were on sale alongside bright red, juicy ripe fruit. While the best lychees were selling for at most Tk 2,000-2,500 per thousand, scorched lychees went for Tk 700-800 per thousand. The number of scorched lychees at the market was not small.

Farmer Nazmul Hossain, who had come to Joynagar to sell burnt lychees, said the yield had been good this year, but the rapid change in weather had burnt the skins and brought down the market price.

Farmer Amser Ali said: "The lychees are burning because of the intense sun. Burnt lychees are being sold very cheaply. At this market, lychees are available from Tk 200 to Tk 2,600 per thousand. Fallen lychees and sunburnt lychees are selling at the lowest prices."

Hafizur Rahman, a lychee orchard owner from Maniknagar village, told Jagonews24 that production was higher this year and that the Joynagar market had received its biggest supply of lychees that day. The fruit is being spoiled by the adverse weather, he said, which is locally called "pora" (burning). Good-quality lychees were selling for Tk 1,200 to Tk 2,600 per thousand that day.

Alamgir Hossain, a wholesaler at the Joynagar lychee market, said: "Lychees are being traded here at Tk 1,000 to Tk 2,500 per thousand. The weather is one of the main reasons the market has fallen. Because of the rapid change in weather, the intense sun is leaving black spots on the lychees. Farmers are being badly hit."

Nazmul Haque Ranjan, assistant observer at the Ishwardi weather observatory, told Jagonews24: "The heatwave in Ishwardi has intensified over the past few days. Temperatures are fluctuating between 36 and 38 degrees. This is badly affecting nature as well as people."

Upazila agriculture officer Abdul Momin said: "Lychee yields in Ishwardi have been good this year because the weather was favourable. But the heatwave has suddenly intensified over the past two or three days of fierce sun, and the skins of some lychees have been burnt black. Farmers will suffer some losses as a result."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.