LAMPHUN, March 4 – Drought has battered longan orchards in this northern province of Thailand, and the authorities warn that the dry season may continue until mid-May.
Farmers complain that insufficient water is slowed the growth of the fruit in their longan plantations forcing, some to pump underground water to quench the thirst of their orchards..
A well-watered stem in bloom is normally 20-35cm long, bearing 50-70 longans, but this seasons blooming stems at most orchards in this northern province are only 15-25cm long, according to an orchard owner who expressed concern that this year’s longan exports will be lower.
Thailand exported 220 tonnes of longans to the international market last year.
The Lamphun provincial administration has announced eight districts as drought-hit zones and said the water shortage has impacted more than 51,000 rai (some 20,000 acres) of orchard.
