Bumper Haribhanga mango harvest likely, business activities begin

Bumper Haribhanga mango harvest likely, business activities begin

Amid predictions of a bumper harvest of the indigenous variety "Haribhanga" mango this season, business activities have already started here for marketing the fibreless, fleshy and highly luscious seasonal fruit. Officials, experts and farmers are expecting a bumper harvest of Haribhanga mango this season, although its cultivation was somewhat hampered by drought in February and March. Later, frequent rainfall in April helped the seasonal fruits grow well, predicting a bumper harvest of the popular summer fruit and creating hopes of better profits for farmers this time. Enthusiastic Haribhanga mango farmers are now very busy tending to their mango orchards and dreaming of the golden dream of bumper harvests and better profits. Many mango traders from Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Cumilla and other regions and local online youth mangeo traders are flocking to buy Haribhanga mangoes grown on orchard trees in Mithapukur upazila and other parts of the district. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) have predicted a bumper production of Haribhanga mangoes of improved size during the mango harvest, starting from the last week of May and continuing until next July. Although all varieties of mangoes are cultivated in the Rangpur region, in the last few years, Haribhanga mango has gained commercial fame in this region changing the economic standard of the people. "Haribhanga mango has already been recognized as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of Rangpur, which has created a huge demand for it locally and abroad," DAEs Rangpur region Deputy Director, Krishibid Md. Afzal Hossain told BSS today. During the last season, farmers produced 38,508 tonnes of Haribhanga mango from their orchards in 2,556 hectares of land in all five districts of the region. "Of them, they produced 29,772 tonnes of Haribhanga mango from orchards in 1,910 hectares of land in Rangpur district alone last season," he said, adding that farmers have brought little more land under its cultivation this time in the district. Haribhanga mango is mostly being cultivated in the orchards in Podaganj, Akhirarhat, Khoragachh, Matherhat, Rangatipara, Paikarerhat, Tekani, Moyenpur, Kadamtala, Lalpukur, Shukurerhat, Shikarpur, Kashimpur and other villages in Mithapukur upazila of the district. The mango is also being cultivated on commercial basis in dozens of villages under all other seven upazilas of Rangpur and other places of Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur agricultural region. While visiting some of the Haribhanga mango orchards in these villages recently, this reporter found mango farmers busy watering the roots of the Haribhanga mango trees and sprinkling water on the tender mangoes growing on the trees. Monirul Islam, a mango farmer from Lohanipara in Badarganj upazila, hoped that if the weather remains favorable for the next two months, there will be a bumper harvest of Haribhanga mangoes this season. Farmer Nur Hossain of Podaganj village in Mithapukur upazila said, "If the weather is favorable and proper care is taken, there will be a good yield of Haribhanga mangoes this season and good profits will be made." Successful mango farmers from various villages in Mithapukur upazila, including Afzal Hossain, Golam Mostafa, Ansar Ali, Bablu Master and Ruhul Amin have also predicted a bumper harvest of Haribhanga mangoes this time. "Like many other farmers, I have been cultivating Haribhanga mangoes in my orchard for the past 18 years and achieved self-reliance," said Golam Mostafa.