Farmers happy as mango trees bloom abundantly in Khulna

A bumper harvest of the prevalent fruit is primarily predicted for the current season as mango trees bloomed abundantly, delighting farmers in all four districts (Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Narail) of the Khulna agricultural region.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said that with the arrival of spring, mango trees in gardens and homesteads have started to take on aremarkable yellow color and have blossomed with beautiful buds.

"Farmers have already started taking care of their blossoming mango trees. They are expecting excellent yields and more profits this season," said Md Rafiqul Islam, Additional Director of DAE Khulna region this afternoon.

About 80 percent of mango trees have already bloomed and 90 percent of mango trees are likely to sprout by the second week of March this season.

The flowering process of mango trees has started on time this season, despite the relatively moderate to long winter and favourable weather, and the current climate is very suitable for this process.

"Hundreds of farmers have started commercial mango cultivation in four districts of the region after getting bumper harvests every year and the recent turnaround in their fortunes due to the lucrative prices of mangoes," Rafiqul Islam said.

Farmers are likely to bring around 7,740 hectares of land under mango cultivation during the current season in the region and produce over 1, 12,516 tonnes of mangoes.

He said that farmers are mostly cultivating popular varieties of mangoes like 'Gobindavog', 'Gopalvog', Gopalkhas, BARI-4, BARI-11, Harivanga, 'Kachamitha,' 'Bombai,' 'Lata,' 'Fazli,', 'Mallika,"Gourmoti, 'Himsagor,' 'Lengra'', 'Amrapali' 'Ashwini,' 'Katimon', 'Bananamango,' and 'Mohonvog,' in the region. 

Although all types of mangoes are cultivated in this region, the Gobindavog, Gopalvog and Gopalkhash mango are first produced in Satkhira in the country, he said.

"These three varieties of mango cultivation has changed the economic standard of living of hundreds of the people of Khulna and there is a huge demand for this mango in the country and abroad," he said..

He praised the DAE officials for providing assistance to the farmers and advising them to take proper care of the mango trees during flowering and control the attack of grasshoppers and other pests on the mango flowers, if any.

"If the climatic conditions, temperature fluctuations, rainfall, insect and pest attacks remain within tolerable limits for the next three months, the structure of the mango will be good and excellent so that a bumper yield can be gained," Rafiqul said.

Talking to BSS, farmers Mahin Molla, Shaban Mahmud and Abdul Awal of Ashashuni upazila in Satkhirasaid they have been cultivating 'Gobindavog', 'Gopalvog' and 'Gopalkhas' mangoes in their orchard on 12 acres of land for the last couple of years.

"The budding in mango trees continues superbly now predicting a bumper production of the fruit this season," they said, and hoped that each of them are expecting to earn a net profit of Taka 10 to 15 lakh, excluding all farming expenditure.

Orchard owners Shahabuddi nof the upazila are hoping that excellent budding in mango trees would lead to a bumper production of the fruit this season.

"I am earning excellent returns every year for the last 1o years from my mango orchard where fivelabourers are currently working to take extensive care of the blooming mango trees," he added.