Juicy relief all around
It's summer; time for luscious fruits.
Take a stroll through any village in the country, especially in the northern districts, and you won't miss those thick, dense bunches of green mangoes and reddish litchis hanging from the trees. They bring waters in your mouth as much as they bring smiles on the faces of the farmers who grow them.
This year in particular, fruit farmers are smiling real big as they have a bumper production of all the seasonal fruits, including mango, litchi, jackfruit, pineapple and watermelon.
There is some good news for consumers too. Following extensive media reports for the last few years that growers apply excessive pesticides and harmful ripening agents, the government this season took a number of initiatives to address the problem.
“We directed fruit farmers not to use pesticides unnecessarily. Many farmers were given training to grow fruits in organic ways. Some farmers have started using organic fruit bags to protect fruits from pest attacks,” said Sunil Chandra Dhar, director, Horticulture Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Mango growers usually spray pesticides 20 to 30 times every season. But with these bags, they don't need to do so more than thrice. This year, the government imported about 1.5 lakh bags and distributed those among farmers in eight districts. Each bag, which can wrap a whole cluster, cost farmers Tk 5.
The DAE is working to further promote this method.
Also, the district administration has banned early harvest of mangoes in Chapainawabganj, known as the country's mango capital. There, farmers have been asked not to harvest mangoes before June 1.
This has been done to stop use of ripening agents on unripe fruits.
At least 15 percent of the country's total mango production comes from the district.
Farmers there can harvest varieties like Kancha-mitha and some varieties of guti before June 1 but not Gopalbhogh, Khirsapat (Himsagar) and other varieties.
Sorof Uddin, senior scientific officer of Regional Horticulture Research Station, said farmers in the past would start harvesting mangoes in mid-May and would apply calcium carbide and other ripening agents harmful to health.
However, despite the government measures, some consumers are still worried.
“I have not bought any mango yet. I am waiting for the proper time because the possibility and the extent of using hazardous ripening hormones will reduce then,” said Sarwar Hossain, a service holder.
Last year, mango and jackfruit productions were 17.94 lakh tonnes and 16.18 lakh tonnes respectively. This year, their production will grow by 5 percent each, DAE officials said.
Though hailstorms hit several times and fogs occurred during the flowering season, production of mangos is reported to be good in all 64 districts of the country.
“Timely rainfall has helped the bumper production this year,” said Al Hasan Sadi, a mango orchard owner from Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj.
Production of litchi, watermelon, pineapple and guava is expected to rise by two to three percent compared to last year, according to DAE officials.
Among commercially important varieties, Khirsapat or Himsagar, have already hit the market, though on a limited scale. Lengra, Amrapali and Fazli will be available after mid-June.
Of the several varieties of litchis from Dinajpur, only Madrazi is available in the market. Other popular varieties, including Bombay, China and Bedana, will start arriving in the market from next week.
This year, farmers in Dinajpur grew litchis on 4,100 hectares of land where production is expected to be up to 30,000 tonnes, according to the district DAE.
Pabna, the second biggest litchi growing district after Dinajpur, will grow some 2,800 tonnes.
This mouthwatering fruit has grown well in Lalmonirhat, Sonargaon, Narayanganj and the three hill districts as well.
Production of watermelon, jackfruit and pineapple is also expected to rise and they all have already hit the market.
[Our correspondents from Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi University, Dinajpur, Pabna and Lalmonirhat contributed to this story.]
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