Fazli market gains momentum

Amid onrush of huge sellers and purchasers, the market of Fazli, a species of mango, has gained momentum in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts, famous for mango production in the country, this season.
In addition to creating employment for over one and a half lakh people, transaction of more than Tk 1,500 crore has been done centring the mango farming, trading and transporting during the peak season.
Likewise, a large number of people are engaged in creating new mango orchards on the cultivable lands in the vast barind tract and char areas.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), there are around 19 lakh mango trees on 25,000 hectares of land in the two districts.
Nurul Amin, additional director of DAE in Rajshahi, said almost all the mango trees were in full bloom this season, but many mangoes were damaged due to adverse weather.
The businessmen are now getting optimum price of Fazli mango, as all other early varieties have almost disappeared from the market. The traders and growers are also highly satisfied with the outputs.
Now, Fazli mango is being sold at Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,400 per mound in Shaheb Bazar, Baneshwar, Charghat and Bagha markets of Rajshahi, and Sadar, Moharajpur, Ranihati, Kansat, Mobarakpur, Chowdala, Rohanpur, Mollikpur and Vholahat markets of Chapainawabganj.
Around 250 trucks are now transporting mangoes to different areas of the country, especially Dhaka, Chittagong, Chowmohani, Narayanganj, Comilla and Feny, every day.
Nurul Islam, a wholesaler of Kansat, told the newsmen that the mango would be available till mid-August. Mangoes of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj are conventionally late ripening, he said, claiming that the amount of mangoes mixed with carbide had come down to a low level this season due to surveillance by the law enforcement agencies. He said climate change had created a bad impact on the mango trees.