Bumper mango if all go well
Growers, experts in C'nawabganj take good care of the delicious fruit
Green mangoes in trees at an orchard in Chapainawabganj. Framers and agriculturists expect bumper yield in the district famous for high quality tasty varieties of the delicious summer fruit this season. Photo: STAR
Growers and agriculture officials expect bumper production of mango in the district this season as favourable weather conditions have helped about 70 percent flowering of the trees and smooth growth of the delicious summer fruit. This season around two lakh tonnes of mango production is expected in the famous mango-producing district that yielded 1.85 lakh tonnes of the fruit last year, district agriculture officials said. There will be bumper production of mango this year if there is no prolonged drought, storm or foggy weather, said Dr Shafikul Islam, chief scientific officer of Chapainawabganj Regional Horticulture Research Station. At this time of the season mango trees need much water. Mango growers, who started taking good care of the fruit trees from December last year, are now spraying pesticides to protect the fruits. According to traditional yielding nature, mango trees flower and bear fruits in abundance in alternative years and this year can be considered an 'on year' in view of last year's less production. Owners of most mango orchards in the district lease them out for 1-5 years. The lessees, who take responsibility for maintaining the orchards, ploughing the fields, applying insecticides, and plucking and selling the fruits, enjoy the benefits as owners of the produced fruits. However, ownership of the trees remains with the orchard owners. Chapainawabganj, known as 'mango capital' of Bangladesh, has a long tradition of producing around 150 varieties of high quality tasty mangoes including fazli, langra, gopalbhogh, khirshapat, khirshabhogh, lakhna, bombai, mohonbhogh and ashwina. There are 17,81,365 mango trees on 23,480 hectares of land in five upazilas of Chapainawabganj district this season, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said. Last year, 1,85,000 tonnes of mango was produced from 17 lakh trees on 23,070 hectares of land in the district, they said. Farmers are cultivating different varieties of mango on more areas of lands in the district following repeated bumper production, DAE officials said. "If the good weather continues, it will lead to bumper production and we hope a good earning this season," said Shahidul Islam, a mango grower of Nayalavanga village in Shibganj upazila. Sadekul Islam, a mango trader of Mistrypara moholla in Chapainawabganj town, also expressed hope of good earning with the prospect of bumper mango production. The district produces mango worth Tk 2500 crore to 3000 crore every year, said Abdul Wahed, president of Chapainawabganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mango cultivation is a profitable venture in Chapaianwabganj as well as a few other districts in the northern region. A large number of people are employed for nursing the trees, harvesting the fruit and packing and transporting to different areas of the country during the mango season every year.
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