LARKANA: The production of guava crop has been seriously affected due to climate change, despite arrival of cold month of December. The temperature has not yet fallen down due to which, vast guava orchid contractors, who have invested large sum of their earnings, have also become extremely worrisome. This delicious fruit is sown on about 9,000 acres of land in the entire Larkana, Shikarpur, Dadu and Khairpur districts. But in revenue record, it is sown on 2700 acres in Larkana district alone to evade taxes. The areas, where guava has been planted include Naundero, Mahotta, Larkana, Bakrani, Dokri, Mehar, Madeji, Dakhan etc. where this bumper crop is ready to be harvested. However, climate change has badly affected its schedule as guava is falling down and losing its pleasant taste change in the temperature. Presently, the temperature in Larkana and its adjoining areas has been recorded as 13to 32 degrees centigrade. After harvesting, the fruit is packaged and transported in trucks to other parts of the country. It takes two to three days for the consignments to reach destinations. If the fruit stales, becomes unfit for human consumption if the journey to receiver’s destinations takes much hpours then the expected. About 90 trucks are loaded and sent to different buyers daily from these areas. The fruit is sent to various markets of Pakistan including Multan, Quetta, Sadiqabad, Ahmedpur, Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bannu, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kohat, Waziristan, Swat, Karachi, Hyderabad & Balochistan. The growers said that it is also exported to Afghanistan and Iran. Last year they had sold a single carton at the rate of Rs.1200 but now the rates are between Rs.300 to Rs.500 per carton, therefore, the traders are expecting huge losses, if weather did not change soon. Members of Larkana Chamber of Agriculture, Siraj-ul-Oliya Rashdi, Shahid Shahani, Ahmed Ali Jhinjhan, Sabir Bhutto and others told Media on Friday that each carton costs them Rs.250, which include the price of an empty wooden carton purchased at the cost of Rs60, while labor and packing is between Rs60 to 80 excluding the transportation charges. They said that there are many kinds of guava. Out of which, old brands have almost vanished and new varieties have taken place, which too are very sweet and tasty. The old varieties included Sindhi, Ramzani, Riyali, Karelo, Thada Rami etc. They said that during cold weather this fruit becomes sweeter and its best consumption time is in January, when the cold winds breeze. The traders also said that due to unprecedented and unexpected climate change, they were facing huge losses this year as prices had gone down by 20 to 30pc, which is beyond their imagination. They said that Provincial Minister, Nisar Khuhro had made a plan to establish guava oil factory at his home village, Akil, but it has so far remained merely an announcement. They demanded that olive/guava oil factories must be established in Larkana, without loss of further time, for the benefit of the growers otherwise, they apprehended, they will continue to suffer due to global warming. “Had these factories been established here as per the previous announcement of PPP’s Provincial and Federal minister’s commitments, the country would have earned millions of dollars in foreign exchange by this time and we would not have faced damages due to global warming,” they added.