RAJSHAHI, April 6, 2021 (BSS)- Prolonged drought and recent deadliest nor’wester have left a trail of destruction to the standing mango crop causing an abyss of despair among the farmers in the region, especially Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, country’s two main hubs for mango production .
According to the experts concerned, around 50 per cent green and immature mangoes have reportedly been dropped out because of the gusty wind and hailstorm during the season’s first nor’wester that hit the region with the speed of 65 kilometres per hour on Sunday last.
Polash Kumar Pramanik, a farmer of Jotkartik village under Charghat Upazila, said he has 300 mango trees on 25 bigha of land and he sells mango worth around TK 7.5 lakh every year.
He is not in the position to harvest 50 per cent of last year’s yield due to fog, drought and hailstorm this year.
“We have experienced an hour long hailstorm from 3pm at a stretch on Sunday,” he said, adding most of the immature mangoes were dropped .
Supad Sheel, another farmer of the nearby Kaluhati village, said he has 60 trees and his orchard has badly been affected by the nor’wester. He, however, said the initial stage of flowering and fruit setting was very much amazing and eye-catching.
Umme Salma, Additional Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said there are mango orchards on 17,573 hectares of land in the district. Target has been set to produce 2.19 lakh tonnes of mango this year. She, however said Sunday’s nor’wester was devastating to the mango growers.
Sirajul Islam, additional director of DAE, said the farmers have been caring and taking necessary measures to recoup the losses .
A proper and sustainable management has become an urgent need to protect mangoes from premature dropping as the gardeners and traders suffer a lot due to the problem.
Agriculturist Islam viewed that premature fruit drop is merely a nightmare for the gardeners and they can check the problem to some extent through following some prescribed guidelines properly.
To address the problem, the field level agricultural extension and research officials, farmers and other concerned are working together after the best use of modern technologies.
He said there are around 35 lakh mango trees of different ages on some 23 thousand hectares of land in the districts of Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon.
“The number of growing mango trees has been increasing in the region for the last couple of years”.
Mango, the leading seasonal cash crop of the north western region, vitalizes the overall economy of the region.
Farming of mango has been increasing every year and the gardeners are earning huge profits by cultivating high yielding and hybrid varieties like Amrapali side by side traditional and popular indigenous varieties.
The farmers and villagers have been showing more interests in mango farming, one of the most important seasonal cash crops of the region with a view to increasing its production and achieving financial profit .