RAJSHAHI, June 1, 2020 (BSS) – Processed food from the fallen mangoes can
be the vital means of recouping its losses as farmers suffer a huge loss
before harvesting of the seasonal cash crop every season.
Every year, huge quantities of green mangoes drop immaturely due to storms
or other natural calamities before harvesting time causing huge financial loss
to the growers.
Agricultural scientists and researchers mentioned that the losses can be
recouped through bringing the dropped mangoes under value addition through
processing after the best uses of modern technologies.
Dr Alim Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station, said
around 20 per cent mangoes valued at around Taka 110 crore have fallen from
the trees due to the super cyclone Amphan that swept the region earlier this
month.
The Amphan visibly took a relatively weird course making marks of its
impact in Rajshahi region as well alongside the southern coastlines on May 20
causing a great loss to the mango growers as many of them are dependent on the
seasonal cash crop to lead their year-round livelihood.
Dr Alim mentioned there are many opportunities of processing and preserving the fallen mangoes through adopting modern technologies to recover the financial loss of the growers.
Postharvest Technology Division (PTD) of Bangladesh Agriculture Research
Institute (BARI) has developed many technologies for proper handling,
processing, packaging, transportation and storage.
Dr Golam Ferdous Chowdhury, Senior Scientific Officer (Postharvest
Technology and Quality Management) of PTD, said varieties of processed foods
are manufactured from immature fallen mangoes after the best uses of
technologies in many countries.
There is a big market of processed foods like mango juice, mango bar,
pickles and dried mango products, dehydrated and canned mango products in both
home and abroad.
Farmers, traders, entrepreneurs and other associate persons involved in
mango production to marketing channels will be benefited equally if there are
time-fitting arrangements to stop waste of any fallen mango.
Dr Ferdous Chowdhury, however, said they are working to bring the growers
along with their family members under training on green mango handling and
processing.
PTD has developed various modern technologies for proper handling,
processing and preservation of green mangoes.
The preserved mangoes can also be utilized to prepare a variety of food
items including mango juice, amm chur, mango bar, mango juice throughout the
year and it can be cooked and consumed mixed with different food and food
products.
Dr Ferdous Chowdhury said raw mangoes can be stored scientifically for a
long time in a mixed solution with required amounts of salt and acetic acid or
vinegar after the best application of these techniques.
Among the processed products, dried mango products as chips are sold at Tk
1,500 to Tk 2,500 per kilogram in the markets. So, mangoes can be one of the
most lucrative crops if different food products can be prepared through
processing the green dropped mangoes.
Officials said mango has been cultivated on 26,150 hectares of areas in
Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts where it’s expected to yield 2,44,000
tonnes of mangoes this year.
Mango groves were also nurtured on 12,671 hectares of land in Naogaon
district where target was fixed to produce 1,61,242 tonnes of mangoes while in
Natore district is expected to produce 56,021 tonnes of mangoes on 4,823
hectares of land.