Mango harvest season starts in Rajshahi

The mango season is upon the country as some farmers in Rajshahi have started harvesting the early varieties.

The growers who have the mangoes -- locally known as Guti varieties -- in their barns are asking for unusually high prices, partly because it's early in the season and mostly because there are fewer mangos on the trees.

The farmers blame rains when the trees blossomed, prolonged winter, record-setting heat, inadequate rain in summer for what they say is a significant drop in yield.

However, Umme Salma, acting deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), says the mangoes will be bigger this year as the trees are bearing fewer fruits.

This year's yield will not be less than last year's 13.28 tonnes per hectare, which is satisfactory, she adds.

Farmers hope the sour varieties of Guti will be sold at almost Tk 1,500 per maund, up from last year's Tk 500.

The sweeter ones, sold at Tk 700 per maund last year, are likely to be sold at Tk 2,000 a maund this time.

They also hope the Gopal Bhog variety which may appear in the market after May 25 will be Tk 1,200 per maund, almost double of last year.

There was no activity at Rajshahi's largest mango market in Baneshwar yesterday morning. Traders say it will take a few more days for business to pick up because most early varieties have not ripened yet.

Anwarul Haque, a farmer in Zinnahnagar area, has 10 trees of the early variety. "Only three have borne fruit," he says. 

He already harvested some 10 maunds of Guti, and from next week, he will start picking up a type of Guti called Dudheshwar next week.

The DAE is expecting 2,60,315 tonnes of mangoes from 19,602 hectares of land in Rajshahi district.

Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed says executive magistrates are monitoring the orchards and markets to make sure chemicals are not sprayed on mangoes.