RANGPUR, Feb 23, 2022 (BSS) - With the advent of the spring, excellent
budding in mango trees primarily signals a bumper output of the popular fruit
making farmers happy in Rangpur agriculture region this season.

     Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said mango
trees in the orchards and homesteads have started wearing impressive
yellowish looks with excellent budding amid favourable climatic conditions.

     "Farmers have started taking care of their blooming mango trees with an
hope of getting excellent yield and more profits this season like in the
previous ones," said Additional Director of the DAE's Rangpur region
Agriculturist Md. Tauhidul Ikbal.

     Around 85 percent of mango trees have already bloomed with a possibility
of 95 percent sprouting by the first week of March next.

     The sprouting process in mango trees started a little late this time
following a relatively longer winter amid foggy weather as the prevailing
climatic conditions now are highly appropriate for the process.

     "After getting repeated bumper production with the lucrative price of
mango and changing their fortunes in recent years, many farmers have started
its commercial basis mango in all five districts of the region," he said.

     Farmers are expected to bring over 8,000 hectares of land under mango
cultivation during the current season in Rangpur agriculture region where
they cultivated the fruit on some 7,500 hectares of land during the last
2020-2021 season.

     Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh
Mamunur Rashid said farmers are taking care of the blooming mango trees so
that the fruit could grow abundantly leading to a bumper production.

     He lauded the DAE officials for extending assistance to farmers and
suggesting them for taking proper care of blooming mango trees at the current
flowering stage and controlling attacks by hoppers and other pests, if any,
on mango flowers.

     "If the climatic conditions, fluctuation in temperatures, rainfall,
attack by pests and insects remained within tolerable limits during the next
few months, formation of mango would be smooth and superb to yield bumper
production," Rashid predicted.

     Talking to the national news agency, farmer Mukul Shah of village Chand
Kuthirdanga in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur said he has been cultivating
highly tasty, popular, fibreless and local 'Haribhanga' mango on his orchards
on 13 acres of land for the last 13 years.

     "I am happy with massive sprouting in mango trees and hoping to
eventually get a bumper production of the fruit," Shah said.

     Farmer Azizar Rahman of village Sangkarpur Mistripara in the same
upazila said excellent budding in his 10 varieties of high yielding, tasty
and popular varieties of mango trees has made him happy.

     Farmers Abdur Rahman and Jahangir Alam of village Jarullapur Bakultala
in Mithapukur upazila here said they have been cultivating 'Haribhanga' mango
in their orchard on 10 to 15 acres of land for the last 15 years.

     "The budding process in mango trees continues superbly predicting a
bumper production of the fruit," said Jahangir.

     Orchard owners Mostafizur Rahman of Podaganj, Amjad Hossain of Tekani
and Abdur Rahim of Paikarerhat villages under Mithapukur upazila are hoping
that excellent budding would lead to a bumper mango production this season.