Gourmoti mango season begins

The Gourmoti mango season starts when the season of all other varieties of mangoes ends. According to the agriculture extension department, the harvesting season of this mango is from August 15 to September 15.

Many farmers have succeeded in cultivating this variety of mango, and are playing a role in the expansion of the variety by grafting seedlings and selling them to other interested farmers.

For example, Osman Gani, former head, Department of English, Bogura Government Azizul Haque College, became interested in cultivating this variety of mango. He bought 100 gourmoti mango saplings from Rajshahi at Tk400 each and planted them in his garden.

When the trees got a little bigger, he made graftings and planted 240 saplings on around 119 decimals of land. He aims to spread this variety among farmers.

He has made 21,000 seedlings by grafting, and sells a seedling at Tk130 whereas the market price is Tk300-350. He has made leaflets on his initiative to expand this mango variety and is distributing them in different areas in the district and upazila levels. He believes farmers will benefit more and play a greater role in the agricultural economy by cultivating this variety of mangoes.

This time, he sold mangoes from his garden worth Tk7 lakhs. He hopes to sell mangoes worth around Tk10-15 lakhs next year.

Osman Gani said the yield and demand for this mango is so high that the same amount of land equal to the garden can be bought with the money of two years of production.

During the season, different varieties of mangoes are available at Tk50-100 per kg. Now, as the season is over, Ashwini mangoes are being sold at Tk80-150 per kg and Fazli at Tk200-300. At present, gourmoti mango is being sold at Tk250-300 per kg.

Osman Gani's cousin Golam Mostafa, who looks after the garden, said as the variety is new, they take care of the garden with the regular advice of agricultural officers. The cost of producing mangoes this year was about Tk1.5 lakhs, and the total sale was Tk7 lakhs.

Anwar Hossain, a fruit trader from Dhaka, bought the mangoes from their garden. He said since this mango is produced at the end of the season, there is a demand for it. This mango is being sent directly to Dhaka where it is being sold at Tk350-400 per kg.

Birganj upazila Agriculture Officer Abu Reza Asaduzzaman said, "The main feature of gourmoti mangoes is that it is produced by storing in the bagging method. As a result, mangoes are free from toxins and viruses. Insects cannot get at them and the mangoes are less damaged.

He added that the Department of Agriculture is working on the expansion of the variety and has given an assurance of any kind of cooperation in this regard.

Pradeep Kumar Guha, deputy director, Dinajpur Horticulture Centre, said there is a huge potential for gourmoti mango cultivation in Dinajpur. Currently, those who are producing it are buying mango seedlings of this variety. 

In the past, farmers had to bring saplings from Rajshahi, but at present, they can collect the saplings from the Dinajpur Horticulture centre. 

Gourmoti mango orchards started in Dinajpur in 2017. Around 250-300 mango seedlings of this variety can be planted per acre.