Bihar litchi faces the heat amid cargo curbs

This is the time of the year when hundreds of orchards dotting north Bihar are laden with litchis.

-  HARSH KUMAR

And with the rising mercury, this fruit has begun changing their hues, from rich green they are now turning pink, and red.

Bihar, which produces almost half of the country's litchi, is also in the thick of elections.

But for litchi growers, summer matters more than the election season.

And this time, the summer has been particularly harsh. It is expected to cut the production of litchi by about 50-60 per cent.

Bindersar Persad Shah, 70, has been growing 'Shahi Litchi' for over five decades on more than 30 acres of land in Muzaffarpur a district which produces the maximum litchi. But little has improved when it comes to the storage and transportation as his fresh crop struggles to reach markets. "The shelf life of litchi is very short, hence we need more cargo and parcel vans in trains," Shah said. 'Shahi Litchi' was given the GI tag in 2018. It is known for its distinct aroma and taste. The other variety grown in Bihar is 'China Litchi', whose size is a tad bigger.

But the shelf life of litchi is just two days and most growers rue lack of proper transport facility which could take their produce out of state, and give them good returns.

"There is a huge demand for litchi in the southern part of India. But due to the lack of transportation, we fail to fulfil the demand," said BP Singh, president of the Litchi Growers Association of India.