Nagpur, the main city of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, is known as the ‘Orange City’ for its famed production of high-quality mandarin oranges. Often referred to as ‘Nagpur oranges’, these fruits are prized for their sweetness, vibrant colour, and juiciness, making them a crucial export commodity for the region. However, behind the sweet success of Nagpur’s orange industry lies a complex web of challenges that threaten the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.
In recent years, several factors, ranging from environmental changes to financial and logistical difficulties, have adversely impacted the sustainability of orange cultivation in the region.
Farmers, who rely heavily on this crop for their income, are grappling with a multitude of issues that put their production and profits at risk.
Today, Vidarbha’s orange farmers face a new enemy: climate change. Temperatures are soaring to dangerous levels, particularly during the summer months.
These high temperatures place enormous stress on orange trees, affecting their growth, flowering, and fruit-bearing abilities.
Heatwaves, especially when they coincide with crucial stages of fruit development, can cause ‘fruit drop’, where the oranges fall prematurely before ripening. In some cases, prolonged exposure to extreme heat can lead to the complete loss of crops, a devastating outcome for farmers whose income depends on a successful harvest.
“The long-term implications of rising temperatures on citrus farming are alarming, as it may ultimately reduce the viability of the region as a hub for orange production,” Gopal Suryabhanji Bhakte, a consultant and influencer for the orange growers told Down To Earth (DTE).
He manages 850 WhatsApp groups in Marathi and Hindi for different regions of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, giving them experiential inputs and deciphering research findings for the farmers.
Like high temperatures and heatwaves, cloudy skies, unexpected rains, and irregular seasons affect the timing of flowering and fruiting. Extreme weather events like sudden heavy rainfall cause soil erosion, waterlogging, and nutrient leaching.
This weakens orange trees, which thrive in warm, tropical climates. The trees become more vulnerable to pests, increasing the farmers’ need for expensive chemical treatments that add to their financial burden.
The rise in temperatures and erratic weather conditions have also led to an increase in pest infestations and diseases.
Citrus crops are sensitive to both excessive rainfall and drought, making them more susceptible to diseases such as ‘root rot’ and ‘mildew’, which can destroy entire orchards.
New pests, such as the Citrus psylla (Diaphorina citri), have become a major threat to orange crops. This pest spreads a bacterial disease called ‘citrus greening’ (Huanglongbing, or HLB), which causes the fruit to become misshapen, bitter, and unmarketable.
The spread of Citrus psylla has been particularly damaging because it can spread rapidly across orchards, causing widespread crop damage. Once infected, there is no cure for citrus greening, and affected trees must be removed to prevent further spread of the disease. As a result, farmers are often forced to replant large sections of their orchards, leading to increased costs and reduced production for several years.
In addition to pests, fungal infections such as ‘anthracnose’ and ‘citrus canker’ have also been problematic for orange farmers in Nagpur. These diseases thrive in humid conditions, making the region particularly susceptible during the monsoon. The lack of affordable and effective pest management solutions makes it difficult for small-scale farmers to protect their crops.
Government schemes designed to provide financial support to farmers are often marred by inefficiencies, leaving many unable to benefit from subsidies or low-interest agricultural loans. For orange farmers, who face volatile market conditions and uncertain yields, these financial constraints further exacerbate their vulnerability.
The availability of high-quality seeds and planting materials is essential for successful orange cultivation. However, many farmers in Nagpur face difficulties in accessing certified seeds, often relying on cheaper, lower-quality seeds that result in weak trees with reduced resistance to pests and diseases. The unavailability of reliable planting material affects not only yield but also the long-term sustainability of orange production in the region.
Water scarcity is one of the most critical issues plaguing orange farmers in Nagpur. The region, despite being located in a humid tropical climate, has seen a decline in reliable water sources due to erratic rainfall patterns and over-extraction of groundwater. Oranges, particularly during the fruiting stage, require consistent and adequate watering to produce healthy and marketable fruit.
Vidarbha, historically known for its agrarian economy, has seen repeated droughts over the past decade, further compounding the water crisis.
Many farmers rely on traditional rain-fed agriculture, making their crops extremely vulnerable to water shortages. In some instances, farmers have had to invest in expensive irrigation systems such as drip irrigation to conserve water, but even then, many of these systems are not efficient enough to meet the growing water needs of orange cultivation.
“We had a deficit of an aggregate of 31 per cent rainfall in the last five years due to which we had to exploit underground water, spending enormous money channelling the water to the orchards through various types of irrigation, mainly drip and sprinklers, just to keep the trees alive for the next season with a hope of good natural rainfall,” Pradeep Khandekar, a farmer told DTE.
He added that some farmers had tried different varieties of oranges, particularly the Punjabi variety known as ‘Kinnows’, but the results were not to the extent of expectation, despite positive research inputs.
“Later we came to know it was not advisable to replace them with the Nagpur variety as they tend to alter the quality of Nagpur oranges due to cross-pollination. So many of us have removed them from our orchards,” stated Khandekar.
The lack of sustainable water management practices, coupled with increasing competition for water from other industries, has made it harder for farmers to maintain their orchards. The government’s role in providing adequate irrigation infrastructure and promoting water conservation methods remains critical to resolving this issue.
Another significant challenge for orange farmers is the scarcity of labour. The agricultural sector has seen a steady decline in the availability of skilled labourers, as many workers migrate to urban areas in search of better-paying jobs.
Farming, especially orange cultivation, is labour-intensive, requiring workers for planting, pruning, harvesting, and pest control.
“Many of our members have created micro co-operatives and have mechanised their operations, particularly the harvesting, plant management and pest eradication, In the last five years or so these micro co-operatives pooled their resources to hire machines for operations,” said farmer Ajit Kalekar.
Even when farmers successfully navigate the many obstacles of growing their oranges, they face significant challenges in marketing their produce.
One of the biggest issues is the lack of adequate storage and transportation infrastructure. Oranges are highly perishable, and without proper refrigeration and timely transportation, a large portion of the harvest can rot during transit.
In addition, orange farmers are often at the mercy of fluctuating market prices, which are influenced by a variety of factors, including supply chain inefficiencies, middlemen, and international competition. The lower prices that farmers receive for their oranges reduce their profit margins, making it difficult for them to recoup their investments.
“The volume of produce that we used to send to states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi has shrunk due to drop in the crop. Since the volumes are not much, the cost of per truck load increases which takes the price up,” members of the Nagpur Orange Growers Association (NOGA) told DTE.
“However, we are able to add value to our produce by processing it into jams, marmalades and squashes which are selling well under the brand name — ’NOGA’. This is a financial model where growers can level off cost overshoots,” they added.
“The association is in constant touch with the Maharashtra government and the central government to mitigate such bottlenecks,” the members said.