Key points:
- Abazai orchards span 575 acres, hosting 19,000 mango trees.
- Yields dropped 20–25 pc in three years, officials report.
- Abazai mangoes ripen naturally, unlike chemically ripened Punjab varieties.
- Storms, hail, and heavy rains slash fruit yield and quality.
- Charsadda summers average 42°C, stressing orchards severely.
- Pakistan saw 41 pc less rainfall January–March 2025.
CHARSADDA, Pakistan: On the left bank of the Swat River, around 28-kilometre (km) northwest of Charsadda city, sits Abazai—a historic town and union council in Tangi Tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Known for its fertile soil and centuries-old agrarian traditions, the wider Charsadda district has built a reputation around five distinct treasures: sweet Chaunsa mangoes, blood-red Malta oranges, fragrant lychee, the hearty Ghatay Roojay—also known as Mota Chawal, a traditional thick-grained rice—and the rich, golden jaggery (gurr) that has long sweetened Pashtun kitchens.
But among these, the mangoes reign supreme—a fruit loved not only across Pakistan but also in faraway markets like Afghanistan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
According to the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA), Pakistan typically produces around 1.8 million tonnes of mangoes annually, with Punjab contributing 70 per cent, Sindh 29 per cent, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa around 1 per cent.
Today, however, the king of fruits in this region is under siege—not from pests or market competition but from the invisible enemy of our era: climate change.
Natural ripening advantage
According to the Charsadda Agriculture Department, Abazai’s mango orchards cover around 575 acres, home to more than 19,000 trees. In the past, each tree produced an average of 500 kilograms of mangoes annually. Now, that figure has dropped to about 400 kilograms, representing a 20–25 per cent decline in just three years, notes Muhammad Ibrar, Director Agriculture Charsadda.
The area’s five main varieties—Anwar Ratol, Dussehra, Langra, Chaunsa, and Fajri—are prized for their juiciness, intense sweetness and low fibre content. They ripen late in the season, often fetching higher prices because Punjab and Sindh’s harvests end by then.
We enter the market after Punjab and Sindh’s season ends, so prices are higher but this year, hailstones left scars on the fruit. The taste remains the same in taste, but customers don’t like the appearance and prices drop. It’s disheartening.” — Tariq Khan, orchard owner
Unlike Punjab and Sindh mangoes, which are often ripened using the harmful chemical calcium carbide, Abazai mangoes require no such process. Growers explain that the area’s cooler temperatures allow the fruit to ripen naturally later in the season, usually by August, giving it both a safer and more distinctive appeal in the market.
But extreme weather events—once rare in the region—are becoming increasingly frequent and destructive. Strong winds and storms during flowering season, heavy monsoon rains during harvest, and even hailstorms have taken a serious toll on both yield and fruit quality.
Storms devastate orchards
Thirty-six-year-old Tariq Khan, a local orchard owner in Tangi, observes that the timing of mango harvest is their biggest advantage. “We enter the market after Punjab and Sindh’s season ends, so prices are higher but this year, hailstones left scars on the fruit. The taste remains the same in taste, but customers don’t like the appearance and prices drop. It’s disheartening.”
Khan also points out that logistical challenges add to the burden: poor roads, damaged access paths after rains and rising transportation costs eat into profits. A crate of premium mangoes weighing about 8 kg sells for Rs. 850 in the orchard—around 100 rupees per kg—but the same fruit costs Rs 200–250 per kg in urban markets, the profits get more than double by the time it reaches the consumers.
Likewise, Muhammad Husnain,43, a seasonal mango picker hailing from Dargai town in Mardan district, recalls the worst storms: “We sometimes lose 60 to 70 per cent of the crop when hailstorms strike. Last year, fully loaded trees were shaken by strong winds and unripe mangoes fell to the ground. Diseases like ‘chatri’ [mango anthracnose] and ‘talia’ [mango malformation disease] spread faster after heavy rains. Too much rain damages the fruit but so does too little.”
Scorching seasonal shifts
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and World Weather Online (WWO), Charsadda’s summers are extremely hot. June averages about 42 degrees in the day and 29 at night, July about 39 and 29, and August about 37 and 28.
The Global Temperature Report 2024 notes that global temperatures have risen by 1.6°C from 1850 to 2024. In 2023 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had 11 per cent less rain than normal, early 2025 brought a sharp dry spell with 41 per cent less rain than usual across Pakistan (January–March). September 2023 in KP was warmer than normal, ranking among the hottest on record.
Together these hotter, drier swings are putting real pressure on mango orchards. Adding to the challenges are increasingly severe weather events.
We sometimes lose 60 to 70 per cent of the crop when hailstorms strike. Last year, fully loaded trees were shaken by strong winds and unripe mangoes fell to the ground. Diseases like ‘chatri’ and ‘talia’ spread faster after heavy rains. Too much rain damages the fruit but so does too little.” — Muhammad Husnain, seasonal picker
In April 2025, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that severe hailstorms with golf ball–sized hailstones struck multiple districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—including Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Battagram and Khyber—triggering flash floods and causing widespread destruction to crops, fruit orchards, homes, vehicles and infrastructure.
Just weeks later, in May 2025, a hail-windstorm hit Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda, resulting in casualties, injuries and extensive property losses. Each new disaster only seems to add fuel to the fire for struggling farmers.
Heatwaves hit earlier
Asif Momand, an Islamabad-based climate change journalist and expert, links these changes to broader environmental shifts, saying that “Pakistan’s five-year weather data from the Meteorological Department shows a clear trend—extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. We now see heatwaves starting as early as March in areas like Charsadda which historically didn’t experience them.”
The winters are drier and January 2025 recorded the highest global temperatures on record. This directly impacts agriculture especially fruits like mangoes, he adds.
Pakistan’s five-year weather data from the Meteorological Department shows a clear trend—extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. We now see heatwaves starting as early as March in areas like Charsadda which historically didn’t experience them.” — Asif Momand, climate change journalist
In 2024, a national report warned that Pakistan could face a shortfall of 600,000 metric tonnes in mango production due to climate impacts.
Yet, Mohmand argues that resilience strategies are not reaching the grassroots. He points out that policies exist on papers but implementation is weak. Farmers’ voices are missing from climate policies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Without climate-resilient seeds, modern techniques and local knowledge integration, farmers will remain vulnerable, he warns.
Windbreaks against storm
The government-run Agriculture Extension Department Charsadda has started taking steps to protect orchards, though progress remains slow. According to Charsadda District Agriculture Director Muhammad Ibrar, one of the key measures is windbreak planting—growing trees like poplar around mango orchards. These trees act as natural barriers and help reduce the damage caused by strong winds and storms, which often harm the fruit during flowering and harvesting seasons.
He further explains that better soil management and climate-resilient saplings are also important. By using tractors to till the land, rainwater can soak into the soil more easily and remain available for trees during dry and hot periods. “In addition, the department is working to provide farmers with stronger, weather-tolerant saplings and training on modern planting methods, so they can better cope with the changing climate and protect their crops,” he adds.
Policies exist on papers but implementation is weak. Farmers’ voices are missing from climate policies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Without climate-resilient seeds, modern techniques and local knowledge integration, farmers will remain vulnerable.” — Asif Momand
One of the beneficiaries, Muhammad Hussain, share with WE News English that officials from the Agriculture Department visit from time to time and, after inspecting the orchard, guide them about medicines and fertilisers, which they follow. He mentions that they have also planted eucalyptus trees around the orchard to reduce the wind pressure on the orchard during storms.
The uncertain future
Abazai’s mango is more than a fruit. It is a symbol of local pride, a source of income for hundreds of families, and a contributor to Pakistan’s export economy. The changes seen here are a warning sign for agriculture across the country.
If extreme weather continues unchecked, the mango may lose its crown jewel status not just in Tangi Abazo but across Pakistan. Muhammad Hussain stressed that farmers continue their work under the shadow of uncertainty, hoping that policymakers will match their resilience with effective action before the last straw pushes many of them out of farming.
