MANGO FARMERS GET TIPS TO SAVE MANGO YIELDS

Mango farmers in Makueni are facing hurdles that threaten their harvests, especially during flowering and fruiting.

Flower and fruit abortion, blights, mildews and pests such as thrips, mites, mango weevil, mealybugs and fruit flies have been major setbacks.

On Wednesday, farmers in Mavindini ward attended a training session on how to manage these challenges.

Experts from Greenlife Company guided them on using fungicides with azoxystrobin and difenconazole to control blights and mildews, while pesticides with thiomexam and labdacyalothrin were recommended to fight off pests.

Additionally, to reduce flower and fruit abortion, farmers were urged to spray foliar fertilizers rich in Zinc and Boron. They were also encouraged to adopt irrigation methods to ensure their mangoes reach the market at the right time.

The session, attended by Livestock and Cooperative Development Chief Officer Japheth Kiminza, Mavindini MCA Jonathan Kimongo, Mango exporters and financial institutions, is a timely intervention during the mango flowering season.

The sensitization is expected to boost farmer knowledge and improve mango harvests across the county.