Record mango production likely in Rajshahi district this year

FE Team | Published: March 21, 2022 21:55:27

RAJSHAHI, Mar 21 (UNB): A record production of mango is likely in Rajshahi district due to favourable weather condition.
"This year, Rajshahi district might break all its previous records of mango production", said Abdullah Hil Kafi, Additional Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Department.
As additional 572 hectares of land were brought under mango cultivation this year, Fruit Research Centre in Rajshahi under the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) is expecting a record-breaking output.
Mango trees are in full bloom making Rajshahi farmers also hopeful of bumper yield this year.
In the 2020-21 season, there were mango orchards on 17,943 hectares of land in the district that yielded about 0.21 million (2.17 lakh) tonnes of mangoes and mangoes were sold at Tk 868.5 million (86.85 crore).
According to the Agricultural Extension Department, in the current (2021-22) season, mangoes have been cultivated on 18,515 hectares of land.
"This year, mango production target was set at 15.85 tonnes per hectare. We are expecting a record yield of mangoes in Rajshahi district because of the increased cultivation," said Dr Abdul Alim, Chief Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station in Rajshahi.
He said, "The weather so far this season is favourable for mango cultivation as soil retained enough water due to sufficient rain in the last monsoon. The trees got enough nutrition as many farmers cultivated mangoes beside vegetable farming lands."
"Though the mango buds are less than the previous year, we are expecting a record yield because of the increased cultivation," he added.
Abul Hossain, a mango farmer from the Charghat area having a total of 2.68 hectares of mango orchard, said, "Last year, the mango production was good but due to Covid-19 induced lockdown the farmers did not get good profit. But this year mangoes will reach the market immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr which might bring a good profit for us," he said.