Rs 200/Kilo: Lychee Prices Poised to Crash 90% by January After Initial Peak

Freshly picked lychees are fetching up to Rs 2,500 per kilogramme, or between Rs 300 per pound and Rs 2,500 per kilo, as growers grapple with climate-induced harvest delays.

Early-season harvests are commanding “gold-level” prices due to a slowdown in production attributed to recent unfavourable weather, which has disturbed the fruit’s essential flowering stage.

Climate Blamed for Output Woes

Local planters report a noticeable delay in their lychee harvest. An Arsenal grower interviewed yesterday explained that adverse wind and cold conditions negatively impacted the flowering of fruit trees.

“The climatic conditions were not favourable to allow the fruit trees to yield in time.”

The grower, a member of the Arsenal Growers Cooperative Society, noted that in his Arsenal orchard, the lychees are only just beginning to mature.

He also pointed out that other growers in areas like Montagne-Longue, d’Epinay, Les-Mariannes, and Rivière-du-Rempart are facing fewer difficulties, as their local topography naturally protects the orchards from cold winds.

He added a word of caution, stating that some fruit tree owners had been “somewhat negligent” in maintaining their orchards.

Price Drop Expected Post-January

The high prices are anticipated to be temporary. The Arsenal grower expects costs to remain elevated initially before gradually decreasing by January, once the full harvest is available to consumers.

At that point, the price could fall to between Rs 200 and Rs 250 per kilogramme, or even less in certain regions.

The cooperative member remains optimistic about the overall yield, estimating a good harvest of between 2,000 and 4,000 tonnes of lychees per arpent in his Arsenal orchard.

“In about two weeks, our lychees will be on the market… I saw a seller offering a kilo at Rs 2,500, but I told him he will have to reconsider his price when our fruits are available, because our varieties are tastier and more affordable,” he confidently added.

Battle Against the Bats

In addition to climate challenges, growers are also focusing on protecting their crop from bats using nets. However, this defence method is not entirely effective.

“Despite these nets, the bats are becoming more and more intelligent. They manage to slip underneath,” he remarked.

Source: Le Mauricien