CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Bangladesh, Apr 25 (NNN-BSS) – Gardeners are now eyeing a robust year, as trees are full of green mangoes in every orchard, in Bangladesh’s north-western Rajshahi.
As the country’s important producing hub of the juicy fruit, Chapainawabganj has been famous for high-quality mangoes nationwide, during the mango season, from May to Aug.
Green mangoes in many gardens are now hanging on tree branches, filling the entire region with an unripe mango scent, and they are about to turn yellow or orange with time. Among the best mangoes in the region, Khirsa, Langra, Him Sagar, Lakhan Vog and Surma Fazli are commonly seen and found abundantly.
Mango growers in Chapainawabganj district, some 302 km north-west of the capital Dhaka, said, favourable weather conditions have helped large scale flowering of the trees this season and they are expecting to go for a bumper harvest next month.
General Secretary of Bholahat Mango Foundation, Mozammel Haque, said, for generations people are engaged with mango farming in the region, adding that, about 80 percent of people in this region grow the tasty fruit for a living.
A mango farmer from Bholahat Upazila (sub-district) under Chapainawabganj district, Md Ainas Ali, said, he directly sells mangoes to retailers from his six mango orchards.
“There are all kinds of mangoes in my garden. We’re working hard to provide good quality mangoes to the people of the country,” said the farmer.
Kamal Uddin, the senior vice president of the foundation said, since its establishment in 2000, it has been aiming at “serving the farmers and providing services to the traders,” and now it has 6,300 members.
He said, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not able to reach consumers properly, although they have a large stock of mangoes.
“This time we hope to be able to produce 30,000 tonnes of mangoes through the Mango Foundation (initiative),” he added.
The general secretary also urged consumers to visit a market run by the foundation there.
“Every day mangoes worth 10 million takas (about 113,000 U.S. dollars) are sold and bought in the market, during the mango season,” he said, hoping that, buyers and sellers from all around the country and beyond, will visit the market as usual, as the country’s pandemic situation is under control.– NNN-BSS
