Excellent sprouting in mango trees continues in northern districts

RANGPUR, Feb 24 (BSS): With the advent of the spring and rise in temperature after departure of winter, excellent sprouting of buds in mango trees continues now everywhere in the northern districts amid favourable climatic condition.
Meanwhile, the mango trees in the orchards and homestead areas have started wearing eye-catching look now and excellent sprouting predicts better production of the fruits this year, agriculture officials, experts and scientists said.
Talking to BSS, officials in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Burirhat Horticulture Centre and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) predicted a brighter prospect for mango production this season as flowering continues excellent.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE, Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said sprouting of buds started little late, but excellent, this time following comparatively longer winter and the climatic condition remains suitable now for the process.
About 70 percent of the mango trees have already bloomed and over 90 percent sprouting is expected by the first week of next month due to favourable climatic condition during the current season in the northern districts, he added.
Principal Scientific Officer of Burirhat Agriculture Research Centre of BARI in Rangpur Dr Hamim Reza said the farmers have already started taking extensive preparations, care and measures so that the mango could grow massively.
He also predicted better sprouting this season and suggested the farmers to contact with the agriculture officers at the field levels and control the attacks by hoppers and other pests on mango flowers for better mango production.
Associate Director- Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia and Africa) Dr MA Mazid hoped better mango production this time if the climatic conditions, fluctuations in temperatures, rainfalls, attack by pests and insects remain normal for the next few weeks.
According to the DAE sources, there are about 4.5 million fruit- giving mango trees of different ages and varieties on some 35,000 hectares in the northern districts and the number continues to increase every year following expansion of commercial mango cultivation.
Deputy Directors of the DAE Feroz Ahmed and Belayet Hossain and Agronomist Anarul Haque said the farmers have been showing more interests in mango farming on commercial basis as they have been getting huge profits repeatedly in recent years.
They said many varieties including the sweetest mangoes like Gopalbhog, Lengra, Fazlee, Nakfazlee, Khirsapati, Mohanbhog, Chyatapori, Haribhanga and Lakhna are grown largely in the northern districts.
Acting Regional Additional Director of the DAE Abdul Jalil said if the climate remains favourable during the next few months, mango formation would rise to an excellent level to yield a record bumper production following excellent sprouting this year.