Litchi production in bihar may dip by 50 per cent this season

Litchi production is likely to dip by 20 per cent from the normal 4.2 lakh tonnes to around 3.36 lakh tonnes this year due to adverse weather conditions in the growing regions.

"This year the production may go down by 20 per cent from the normal crop size as the weather was extremely hot with almost no rainfall in the main growing regions of Bihar, Uttrakhand and Himachal," Litchi Growers Association of India President Niraj Chhinwal.

In Bihar production may dip by 50 per cent if there is no rainfall in a week, a litchi farmer in Muzaffarpur said.

For the last 2-3 years there has been a dip in litchi production due to adverse weather conditions, he added.

The season for the fruit has already started with the 'Bambiya' variety from West Bengal currently available in the markets.

The most popular variety 'Sahi', grown in Muzaffarpur, will hit the market from May 20, Chhinwal added. The Bihar variety will be followed by the ones from Uttarakhand and then Himachal.

Litchi is mainly grown in about 7,000 hectares in Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The fruit is also grown in Tripura, Assam, Orissa and Jharkhand.