UP's kinnow push worries Punjab's orchardists

BATHINDA: Kinnow growers of Punjab, grappling with low productivity since 2021, are now facing a new challenge from Uttar Pradesh where the state government is pushing for the cultivation of the citrus crop.

- Vishal Joshi

With the UP government actively promoting kinnow cultivation—particularly in Agra and the Gangetic belt—using plants sourced from nurseries in Abohar, Punjab’s orchardists fear for the future of their once-thriving industry.

Abohar and Balluana revenue blocks of Fazlika district have around 35,000 hectares under kinnow and the annual average production of Punjab’s ‘king fruit’ is pegged at 12 lakh tonnes.

Punjab orchardists say that the widespread dieback incidents of kinnow orchards in 2024 and poor seasons since 2021 have them worried about the future of Punjab’s key horticulture crop. They attribute the low fruit production trend to increasing levels of saline groundwater, unfriendly climatic conditions and poor canal-based irrigation support.

State awardee kinnow grower Arvind Setia said that this season too, farmers are not seeing any significant change in yield.