Rajshahi, May 12 – Mango growers in the Bangladesh district of Rajshahi are expecting a bumper yield this year as they said the rains caused by recent cyclone Fani have brought an extra benefit to them.
Dr Alim Uddin, a scientific officer at Rajshahi Fruits Research Institute, said, “The rains caused by Fani have prompted the growth of mangoes. Growers will be able to harvest mangoes 7 to 10 days earlier which will help them get better prices.”
Mangoes will also be tastier this time for the unexpected and untimely rains, he added.
Abu Bakar, a mango farmer of Charghat Upazila, said, “We were worried about the output for Fani in the beginning but it has ultimately brought blessings as the heavy rains accelerated the growth of mangoes.”
The mango growers of Bagha, Charghat, Puthia, Godagari Upazilas said now they do not need to spray any harmful insecticides in mango orchards as the rains protected the fruit from insect attacks.
Earlier, they could not spray insecticides as magistrates and police were patrolling the orchards following a High Court order.
The local administration also declared a ban on mango harvest before May 20, said the farmers.
Deputy Commissioner of the district Md Ruhul Amin told the UNB correspondent that they will fix dates for harvesting mangoes according to their varieties after a meeting soon.
Sources at Rajshahi Fruits Research Institute said they have set a target to produce some 213,426 tonnes of mangoes from 17,465 hectares of land this year. At least 208,664 tonnes were produced from 17,420 hectares in 2017-2018. – UNB
