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Mango production has increased by around six lakh tonnes amid promotion of high yielding varieties and modern technologies in the region, including its vast Barind tract, during the last one decade.
Experts opined the enhanced yield has created a new dimension in the field of infusing dynamism into the local economy and crop diversification to a greater interest.
According to the latest data given by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), around 9.60 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes were harvested from 90,894 hectares of land during the current season.
Whereas, the growers had harvested around 3.85 lakh tonnes from 42,417 hectares of land in the region consisting of the districts of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore in 2011-12 fiscal.
In the gap of the last 10 years, acreage has been enhanced by around 48,477 hectares, while production by 5.76 lakh tonnes, the data said.
DAE Additional Director Nazrul Islam said the Rajshahi region has become potential for mango production at present as paddy farming faces crises due to constraints of irrigation water in the high barind area.
Besides, expanded market management along with international recognition of mangoes has been stimulating the farmers towards mango farming.
Nazrul Islam said the seasonal tasty fruit is being cultivated round the year for the last couple of years with promotion of modern varieties.
As a whole, a new dimension has been generated in this field as a result of public, private and personal patronization side by side with innovation of improved varieties and technologies and development of communication.
‘Catimon’, a mango variety of Thailand, is giving mango round the year in the region breaking the existing record of around three and half months harvesting season from May to mid August of the delicious fruit.
Nazrul Islam said the tree of exotic variety contains mango and flower or budding simultaneously giving yield three to four times in a year against the single one of the conventional varieties.
Rafiqul Islam has established an orchard of catimon mango variety at his village inspiring many of his co-villagers to follow the path bringing a new dimension to the village’s economy.
Islam, a farmer of Maria village in Durgapur upazila of the district, had collected 1,100 saplings of the variety at Taka 180 per piece from Dinajpur and transplanted those on 25 bigha of land on pond embankment around three years back. Flowers started appearing in the subsequent year.
Giving a salient feature of the variety he also said this mango isn’t the seasonal variety of mango but it’s testy and sweet and market demand is also high compared to other varieties.
Normally, mango harvesting and marketing take place from mid May to hardly mid August in the region from immemorial time.
Apart from this, mango farming in Ultra High Density Mango Planting (UHDMP) method has gained popularity as the growers are getting additional income after the best uses of the method in the region.
Hefaz Uddin, 60, a resident of Bailkapara village of Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj, has been earning money from his land regularly through adopting the method for the last couple of years.
He got yield from 84 trees in 2020, fetching Taka 51,120. “I had harvested 6.7 kilograms of yield from each of the trees on an average,” Hafez said with a smiling face, while talking to journalists on Sunday.
Expecting more income from his land with the application of new agricultural technology, he said the UHDM orchards are contributing a lot towards extra income giving better life to the beneficiary family members at present.
Like Hefez Uddin, many other farmers have attained economic emancipation after adopting the UHDMP method that has brought a remarkable change in the area for the last couple of years.
(DS)
