The lychee harvest season is under way in Madagascar - the world's top producer of the prized pink fruit - but growers and exporters are facing a major crisis, as forecasts indicate a staggering drop in yields this year.
The harvest began on Tuesday, with four refrigerated ships en route to Madagascar's eastern coast to collect the lychees. The island nation supplies the sought-after delicacy to much of the European market during the end-of-year season.
But the mood in the country's port city of Tamatave is tense, as industry leaders grapple with the prospect of a steep decline in the crop linked to an unusually early ripening - a shift that could have major economic consequences.
"There are several factors that can explain this situation," said Judith Riccati, deputy executive director of the Tamatave Horticultural Technical Centre, which leads agricultural studies on the lychee industry.
"Exceptionally high rainfall the first three months of the year - around 2,500 millimetres - has greatly disrupted plant growth."
The heavy rains caused some lychee trees to flower early, and many blooms were knocked off by the downpours.
Lychee trees also require a specific "climate shock" with temperatures dropping to around 15-16C, which "this year, we have had difficulty achieving," Riccati told RFI.
"On top of that, the trees are very old, so they're less responsive to climate shifts."
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Search for solutions
To manage the shortfall, agricultural engineers are exploring possible solutions.
"We could reduce the export quota, but at this point that's no longer a viable solution given the orders and logistical arrangements already in place," said Riccati.
Another option is extending the harvest period by sourcing lychees from more remote areas to meet export demands.
This approach would require longer loading times for the ships, which are currently restricted to two and a half days due to cost constraints.
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Although Madagascar's lychee industry has discussed extending these loading periods for more than 20 years, the change is yet to be implemented.
As unpredictable weather patterns continue to impact agriculture in the country, the need for sustainable solutions grows more urgent.
This story was adapted from the original article reported in French by RFI correspondent Sarah Tétaud.
