Govt sets Tk8,000cr mango trade target in Rajshahi region

Mangoes have already started appearing in the markets in the Rajshahi region as the harvesting of the fruit began last week, following instructions from the local administration. The Gopalbhog Khirsapat, Lakhna, Amrapali, Langra, Fazli, Ashina, Bari-4, Gaurmati and Katiman varieties of mangoes will gradually start entering the market.

With bumper yields at orchards in the northern districts in the country --- Rajshahi, Chapainwabganj, Naogaon, and Natore --- mango growers and agriculture officials are hopeful about sales of the delicious fruit, worth about Tk8,000 crore this season.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, mangoes have been cultivated on 19,570 hectares in Rajshahi this year for which a target of 2.58 lakh tonnes of mango production had been fixed. In Chapainawabganj, the delicious fruit was cultivated on 37,000 hectares of land this year, with the production target set at 4 lakh tonnes. In the fiscal year 2018-19, growers cultivated mangoes on 31,820 hectares of land here.

Besides, mango cultivation rose to 29,475 hectares of land in 2022 in Naogaon from 18,527 hectares of land in 2018. And production also increased to 3.70 lakh tonnes from 3.15 lakh tonnes. In Natore, a target of 79,883 tonnes of mango production from orchards on 5,747 hectares of land was fixed.

Mango grower Belal Hossain, who took 420 mango trees on lease from Rajshahi Science and Industrial Research Centre for three years, said, "Due to intense heat and drought, many of the gutis (small mangoes) were damaged at my orchard this year."

"Although I have lost a lot of gutis already, I am hopeful of getting a high yield as a way of addressing the loss," added the farmer.

Shamsul Wadud, additional director of the Rajshahi divisional office of the Department of Agriculture Extension, said this year the government has set a target of producing 1,107,883 tonnes of mangoes on 92,317 hectares of land in the districts. Last year 969,659 tonnes of mangoes were cultivated on 90,894 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore.

This year, traders and orchard owners in the Rajshahi region will have a business worth about Tk7,000-8,000 crore, he said.

The country's mango production not only caters to domestic demand but also has a significant export market.

"Last year, 223 tonnes of mangoes were exported from the Rajshahi region. Hopefully, we will be able to export 1,000 tonnes of mangoes this year. 300 kg of the Chausha variety of mangoes have already been exported to Italy from here," he said.  

Regarding the expansion of mango plantations every year, Dr Shafiqul Islam, chief scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruits Research Centre, said there was a lot of rain in the Barendra region even ten years ago, causing low mango production. Heavy rainfall and severe drought both are harmful for mango production. Due to balanced rainfall and warm weather, mango production is getting better now. 

Besides, the production of mangoes per hectare has also increased due to modern agricultural practices. Commercial production of mangoes began thanks to smoother transportation after the construction of the Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna River in 1998, he added. 

Mango growers and traders say changes were also made to the packaging of mangoes. Instead of sacks, plastic carts are being used to transport mangoes. With this, people from all over the country, including Dhaka and Chittagong, are able to come by fresh mangoes from Rajshahi through courier services.

Mangoes from the Barendra region are also being exported by air to various countries of the world, including Europe, America and the Middle East for the last few years, they added.