\'Gourmoti\', a new variety of mango, about to sweep Rajshahi markets

bwjs123@gmail.com | Published: September 05, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

RAJSHAHI, Sept 4:  'Gourmoti', a late variety of mango developed through natural pollination of flowers of Langra and Ashina mangoes is going to sweep markets of Rajshahi within next couples of years.
Gourmati, unlike other late varieties of mangoes, is sweet, tasty, succulent and flavoured. The farmers will get a windfall profit by selling this variety of mango because this ripens at the end of August to mid September when all quality mangoes are out of market.
Sources said reaping all the quality mangoes of the country ended by the  month of July. For the first two weeks of August, low quality Ashina mango reigned the market and mango season ended up. But, Gourmoti has ushered a new hope for thousands of farmers of the country to reap a massive profit by cultivating it.
Additional Director (Horticulture) of Rajshahi DAE Monjurul Islam said he discovered the mango variety in Chapainawabganj. In 2012 he had been working as an Entomologist at Sonamasjid Land Port in Chapainawabganj.  
At the first week of September of the same year, the then Director of Plant Preservation Wing Abu Hanif Miah came to visit his office. He went to nearby market to purchase mango with which he wished to serve as snack to the visitor. He purchased a special variety of mango from mango trader Jahangir at Tk 400 per kg who failed to mention name of the mango but assured him of the quality. After consuming those mangoes they found the mango was really superb in taste, quality and flavoured.
Monjurul came to learn that mango trader Jahangir had purchased the mango from the orchard of one Erfan Ali of village Sealmari under Shibganj Upazila of Chapainawabganj. Later he collected some young branches of the tree for grafting and after taking those branches to Kalyanpur Horticulture Centre in the district, the succeeded to grow plants from the grafted branches. By merging two Bangla words- 'Gour' which is the name of an ancient civilisation of Bengal situated in Rajshahi and 'Moti', the name of a precious stone, the mango was renamed as 'Gourmoti' by Monjurul Haque. In October, 2013 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina planted the sapling of a Gourmoti mango at Bangladesh Krishibid Institution.
Hamim Reza, principal scientific officer of Regional Horticulture and Research Centre, Chapainawabganj, said if the mango is cultivated widely through proper publicity and extension, it will be the only late variety of sweet, tasty, luscious mango available till September mid weeks.
Farmers of Rajshahi informed,Gourmoti will make the mango farmers rich within a short time because the mango appeared at the last phase of mango season and the price of the fruit is around Tk 400 to Tk 500 per kg.
Monjurul Haque has developed a nursery of Gourmati at Motiabeel of Paba Upazila. Already he has sold 2,000 saplings and more than 1,000 are on the queue to be sold. On the first day of September this year two mangoes of a plant were ripened and plucked. Those tasted superb.
Dr Saifur Rahman, deputy director of Chapainawabganj Horticulture Centre, Gourmoti bears an immense possibility and potential for the mango farmers of the district. It will abruptly change the economic scenario of mango growers of Rajshahi and other regions within a couple of years.
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