Finding success in the sweetness of mangoes

Sikander Ali, 65, of Paschim Baniary village of Matibhanga union under Nazirpur upazila in the district has become successful in growing tasty mangoes at his orchard.

Though other farmers of the village did not take the risk of cultivating mango, damaging their paddy fields, Sikander took the risk alone.

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"Four years back, I saw an excellent mango orchard at a village in Jessore and I was inspired to cultivate mango from then," Sikander said.

He prepared his 40 decimals of paddy field and planted 100 mango trees of different varieties collected from a nursery.  Now they are full of mangoes.

"I got some mangoes from those trees one year after planting them, and production is gradually increasing every year," said Sikander.

Last year, he sold 20 maunds of mangoes from his orchard, and this year he expects to sell twice as much. He has already begun to sell mangoes. One kg of mango is sold at Tk 50. His mangoes are so sweet that people come to his house to buy them, he said.

Sikander also said he uses fertiliser at the orchard and sprays insecticides on his mangoes after consulting with the local agriculture officer.

He has five acres of farmland where he grows different kinds of vegetables and paddy all the year round.

"Sikander is an ideal farmer of the village. He grows different kinds of vegetables, paddy and fruits," said Bijan Krishna Howlader, sub assistant agriculture officer in Nazirpur.

"He always takes advice from us in cultivating vegetables and using fertiliser at his farmland," he added.