10pc mangoes lost in storm
Around 50,000 tonnes of mangoes got knocked off trees in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj by the season's first nor'wester Sunday night, growers and experts said.
According to them, the lost mangoes are 10 percent of the estimated 5 lakh tonne mango output from the two famous mango-producing districts this year.
However, the damage would not affect this season's expected mango production too much. Growers might earn some money selling the green mangoes since those have demand, they said.
“The trees cannot keep all the mangoes they bear. Some fall naturally,” said Sorof Uddin, senior scientific officer of Regional Horticulture Research Centre in Chapainawabganj.
Alim Uddin, chief scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruit Research Centre, said mangoes were considered storm tolerant.
However, further storms could affect the mango production, said Deb Dulal Dhali, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajshahi.
The wind speed during Sunday's nor'wester reached about 95kmph and swept over the two districts, according to Rajshahi Met office. Many mango trees toppled.
Visiting several areas in Rajshahi city and Puthia upazila on Monday, The Daily Star correspondent saw growers cleaning mango orchards, collecting mangoes in sacks and taking those to Baneshwar Bazar, one of the region's largest mango markets.
Green mangoes flooded the market when this correspondent went there. Usually, the market is abuzz with growers and traders towards the end of May, when mangoes ripe.
Even on Sunday, a maund of green mangoes was sold for Tk 250, but the price dropped to Tk 40 per maund following the storm, traders said, adding that they were sending those to Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna and Jessore.
Forhad Hossain of Puthia's Bhoruapara said he took lease of two mango orchards this year. Around 75 percent of mangoes of one of his orchards were damaged in the storm, he said. “It will be difficult for me to make a profit this year.”
Waliullah, a mango grower of Baneshwar, said, “It hurts when I see mangoes on the ground.”
He took eight mango orchards on lease. Around 80 percent mangoes of two of his orchards were lost in the storm while the other orchards suffered 20 percent damage.
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