Experts eye record mango production in Rajshahi this year

As additional 572 hectares of land was brought under mango cultivation this year, Fruit Research Centre in Rajshahi under the BARI is expecting a record-breaking output

Record production of mango is likely in the Rajshahi district due to favourable weather conditions. This year Rajshahi district might break all its previous records of mango production, said Abdullah Hil Kafi, Additional Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Department.

As additional 572 hectares of land was brought under mango cultivation this year, Fruit Research Centre in Rajshahi under the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) is expecting a record-breaking output.

Mango trees are in full bloom making Rajshahi farmers also hopeful of bumper yield this year.

In the 2020-21 season, there were mango orchards on 17,943 hectares of land in the district that yielded about 2.17 lakh MTs of mangoes and Tk 86.85 crore mangoes were sold.

In the 2019-20 season, 17686 hectares of land mangos orchards yielded about 1.80 lakh MTs of mangoes and Tk 71.81 crore mangoes were sold.

According to the Agricultural Extension Department, in the current (2021-22) season, mangoes have been cultivated on 18,515 hectares of land.

“This year mango production target was set at 15.85 MTs per hectare. We are expecting a record-breaking yield of mangoes in the Rajshahi district because of the increased cultivation,” said Dr Abdul Alim, Chief Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station in Rajshahi.

He said, “The weather so far this season is favourable for mango cultivation as soil retained enough water due to sufficient rain in the last monsoon. The trees got enough nutrition as many farmers cultivated mangoes beside vegetable farming lands.”

“Though the mango buds are less than the previous year, we are expecting a record-breaking yield because of the increased cultivation,” he added.

Abul Hossain, a mango farmer from the Charghat area having a total of 2.68 hectares of mango orchard said, “Last year, the mango production was good but due to Covid-19 induced lockdown the farmers did not get good profit. But this year ripe mangoes will reach the market immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr which might bring a good profit for us,” he said.