Late budding worries mango farmers in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, Mar 13: Mango trees are yet to produce buds fully in Rajshahi region to the farmers' great disappointment though the blossoming season has pretty well arrived by this time.

Officials at the Rajshahi Fruit Research Institute attributed this condition of the late blossoming of the mango trees to the impact of climate change, alongside intense fog and erratic weather.

Despite it being the full season, the mango gardens have not produced buds as expected, which is causing disappointment among the farmers of the region.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), only 50 per cent of the mango trees have produced buds in Rajshahi region so far.

Usually, mango trees are supposed to be in full bloom by the month of February, but this time, even in the middle of March, there are scanty buds in the mango orchards.

So, the mango farmers are busy trying to get enough buds in their gardens at the last moment.

According to the DAE, mango production is gradually increasing in Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi and Natore districts within Rajshahi region.

A target has been set to produce 12,44,527 tonnes of mango from 93,266 hectares of land in the four districts in the current season.

In the last nine years, the mango production target in the four districts was only 6,38,888 tonnes. At that time mango orchards were on 58,924 hectares of land.

Last year, the market value of 12,7,263 tonnes of mangoes produced in the four districts was more than Tk 70 billion (Tk 7,000 crore).

This year, mango production target has been set at 2,60,165 tonnes from 19,602 hectares of land for Rajshahi district; 4,75,678 tonnes from 37,604 hectares of land for Chapainawabganj district ; 4,31,500 tonnes from 30,300 hectares for Naogaon and 77,184 tonnes from 5,760 hectares of land from Natore district.

Insiders said that due to the prolonged effect of winter in Rajshahi region, the mango trees are not getting enough buds making the farmers apprehensive of poor yield in the current season. Many seasonal gardeners are counting financial losses.

Fazlur Rahman, a mango grower from Dharmahata village under Paba upazila of Rajshahi, said, "I have been hearing 'on year' and 'off year' of mango for many years. But due to the awareness of agronomists and farmers, 'off year' and 'on year' have not been seen for the past few years. Now every year yield of mangoes is good and the yield is also increasing. But this year, even in the full season, there are very few buds on the mango trees."

Sajedur Rahman, a mango grower of Bagha upazila of Rajshahi, said, "Last year there were many buds in trees, but this time half of the trees have not produced buds. So I am spending busy time tending trees and buds. However, the rest of the trees are expected to bud within a few days."

Shafiqul Islam , owner of Sadia Enterprises, a mango production and exporting company, said that usually all mango trees bloom in February. But this time, even in the middle of March, there are less buds in the gardens."

Dr Alim Uddin, fruit researcher and a former chief scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruit Research Center, said this year buds are a little less visible in the gardens. But trees are still budding. The impact of climate change is delaying the budding of trees. Already, 50 percent of Rajshahi's mango orchards have sprouted. In this situation, the trees should be taken care of to ensure normal yield.

Mozdar Hossain, deputy director of the Rajshahi DAE office, said, last year the mango production target in Rajshahi was 260,000 tonnes and the turnover was about Tk150 million. This was an 'off year' or 'low yield year' for mango production. So mango buds were comparatively less.

Apart from this, due to the impact of prolonged winter, buds in the trees were not in a large number.

However, if mangoes are cultivated scientifically, production will increase and the farmers will benefit if mangoes are properly stored and transported and marketed.

That is why farmers are advised to contact the DAE.

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