United News of Bangladesh

After a long dry spell,  Chapainawabganj, known as the mango capital of the country, finally experienced rains on Sunday night, bringing much-needed relief to mango growers in the region. Several rounds of rain lashed different parts of the district from around midnight on Sunday, easing concerns among farmers who had been grappling with intense drought. Farmers said mango is the main cash crop of Chapainawabganj, and favourable weather at the beginning of the season had raised high hopes among growers. Trees had flowered abundantly but when the mangoes began to grow the dry spell and lack of rainfall caused stems to dry out, leading to premature fruit drop, they said. Farmers had been irrigating their orchards and spraying water manually in an effort to save their crops. Sunday’s rainfall has brought some relief, they said. Abdur Rakib, a mango farmer from Baliadanga in Sadar upazila, said the weather was favourable early in the season, which resulted in a good number of blossoms and subsequently, healthy young mangoes. “But later, the weather turned adverse. Due to drought and lack of rain, pests attacked the trees, and the stems dried up, causing many mangoes to drop prematurely,” he said. “This rain will help reduce pest infestation and strengthen the stems. Hopefully, fruit drop will now stop.” Kamrul Islam, another grower from Jamtala, said he had been irrigating his orchard to prevent the mangoes from falling. “We didn’t get much rain in our area, little rain feels like a blessing. It will help strengthen the stems and speed up fruit growth,” he added. Dr Yasir Ali, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Chapainawabganj, said the district recorded around 2 millimetres of rainfall on average Sunday night. “It would have been better if the rainfall was heavier, but even this amount will benefit mango and litchi cultivation,” he said. According to the agriculture department, mangoes have been cultivated on 37,504 hectares of land in Chapainawabganj this season

As summer approaches, mango trees have already bloomed and worn eye-catching looks with huge flowers, spreading a sweet scent in every corner of Chapainawabganj, known as the country’s mango capital. Farmers are taking care of the orchards in the hope of a good yield as the weather has been favorable so far this year. But due to the hike in the prices of various materials used for nurturing orchards, including pesticides, the farmers are struggling to take care of the mango trees. Visiting different areas of the district, the UNB correspondent found mango trees covered in blossoms. And such a scene is now adorning not only the rural areas but also the city, making farmers hopeful of a bumper yield this year. Read: Vegetable cultivation on Teesta shoals a boon for Lalmonirhat farmers Mango farmers said that the weather has been favorable since the beginning of the season. As a result, orchards have been covered with mango blossoms. Abdur Rakib, a mango grower, said, "I have an orchard of Amrapali in Chapainawabganj Sadar Upazila which consists of 1,000 trees. Although the weather has been favourable so far this year, the maintenance cost of the orchard has increased many folds due."

Despite its bumper production, the mango growers in Thakurgaon are deeply worried as several hundred hectares of mango orchards got submerged due to heavy rains for the last several days.   According to farmers, some 500 hectare of mango orchards in the district went under rainwaters due to torrential rain, making it difficult for them to harvest mangoes.   Besides, the natural colour of mangoes have turned fade with black spots being visible on them, forcing the farmers to sell their produce at lower prices.

Mango growers in Chapainawabganj, known as the mango capital of the country , are passing their days in great worries as the marketing  of their produce has become uncertain amid the restrictions imposed to slow down coronavirus transmissions.    Local farmers said if the situation does not improve they will have to count huge financial losses in this season.   Mango is the main cash crop of Chapainawabganj. Hundreds of delicious varieties of mangoes, including Gopalbhog, Khirsapat, Langra and Fazli are produced in the district.   Mangoes produced here are supplied to different parts of the country alongside  meeting the local demand and are also exported to other countries. Mango harvesting will start in mid-May.