By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, July 25, 2022 (BSS) - Mango farming and trading are making the region's local economy vibrant as scores of people are seen involved in it.

During the current season, the three months long brisk business of the delicious fruit is now on the final stage in the region, particularly in the districts of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon.

However, some of the mango varieties, including Fazly, Ashwina, Amrapali, BARI 4 and Katimon, are being sold in both the wholesale and retail markets amid exorbitant prices at present.
 
Shamsul Wadud, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said mangoes worth around Tk 150 crore were sold in the region this year, a significant rise of 20 crore from last year's sale of around Tk 130 crore.
 
He said farmers harvested around 2.25 lakh tons of mangoes from around 18,515 hectares of land only in Rajshahi district this season.

During last season, farmers harvested around 2.17 lakh tons of mangoes from 17,943 hectares of land, he said.

Mango groves were also nurtured on 12,671 hectares of land in Naogaon district where the target was fixed to produce 1,61,242 tonnes while in Natore district, it is expected to produce 56,021 tonnes of mangoes on 4,823 hectares of land.
 
In the current season, around 25 tons of mangoes were exported to various European countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland, against 18 tons in the previous season.
 
Meanwhile, Katimon, a mango variety of Thailand, is being produced all the year round in the region breaking the existing record of around three months harvesting season from May to mid-August of the delicious fruit.
 
This variety mango tree flowers and yields fruit three-four times a year compared to the single yield in conventional varieties.
 
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer of Durgapur upazila, inspired his neighbours, established an orchard of this non-conventional mango variety at Maria village.
 
He collected 1,100 saplings of the variety at Tk180 apiece from Dinajpur and transplanted those on 25 bigha of land on pond embankment around two years back. Flowers started appearing in the subsequent year.
 
Rafiqul said the number of fruits was non-satisfactory last year. But he got three to five kilograms of yield from each of the trees on an average this season. He's hoping to get mangoes four times this year.
 
Dr Alim Uddin, former chief scientific officer of Regional Fruit Research Station, said they are conducting research on Thailand's variety to assess its extent of disease infestation.
 
However, the variety has already reached the farmers' level directly creating a new dimension in the field of mango farming.
 
With the passing of time, many high yielding mangoes and modern technologies are coming and enriching the mango production sector, gradually making the region's economic sector vibrating.
 
Dr Alim said mango farming in Ultra High-Density Mango Planting (UHDMP) method has gained popularity as the growers are getting additional income after the best uses of the method in the region, including its vast Barind tract.
 
President of Rajshahi Agro Food Producer Society Anwarul Haque said mangoes produced in Rajshahi are being exported to various European and many other countries every year for the last couple of years, which is good news for Rajshahi people.