Mango production in Rajshahi region doubles this year
Mango production in Rajshahi region is expected to this year.
"If mangoes are not affected by any further storms or other calamities, the production will be over 4.80 lakh tonnes in eight districts under Rajshahi region this season. It is two time more than last year's output of 2.38 lakh tonnes but ten percent lower than average annual production of 5.30 lakh tonnes in the region," said SM Anwarul Azim, Rajshahi regional deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
Overall good weather condition during fruiting period led to the good production although a dry spell that prevailed for six months since November last year affected the mango flowers, reducing the output by ten percent, horticulturists said.
Khasru Mia, a DAE crop production specialist, said they are expecting some 10 tonnes production per hectare from mango trees on some 22,340 hectares of lands in the country's 'mango capital' Chapainawabganj district and 8,415 hectares in Rajshahi district.
There are a total of 48,000 hectares of lands under mango cultivation in eight districts of Rajshahi region.
“We were delighted to see huge flowering in mango orchards but heat damaged a portion of the flowers. Still we hope to harvest double of last year's yield as there was no pest attack on mangoes,'' said Wakil Ahmed while plucking mangoes at his orchard at Bhangura of Kapasia in Puthia upazila.
"I took lease of this orchard of ten trees for four years at Tk 4,000 per year. I hope profit of minimum Tk one lakh this year. Last year I counted loss of Tk 25000 as production was low,” he said.
Visiting Baneswar mango market that sees early variety of mangoes in the season, this correspondent last week saw that guti and gopalbhog mangoes were selling at Tk 500 to Tk 1300 per maund. Last year the beginning prices varied between Tk 800 to Tk 1600 per maund.
“I am happy as there is abundant supply of mangoes this year and the price is low. I have just bought 10 maunds of guti mangoes at Tk 1050 per maund at the market on Tuesday. I will stay at Baneswar market for one month and later I will buy mangoes from Kansat market in Chapainawabganj,” said Emdad Hossain, a mango buyer from Munshiganj.
Mango importers are expected to bring some 30,000 tonnes of mangoes from India this season, said customs officials.
Mango import decreases when there is good production in the country and vice versa, said Rajshahi Customs Commissioner Lutfar Rahman.
The decade's highest 43,000 tonnes of mangoes were imported from India through Sonamasjid, Hili and Burimari land ports last year while average mango import was around 27,000 tonnes in previous years, he said.
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