<i>Juicy mangoes likely to be pricey this year</i>

20 April 2009, 18:00 PM

Rabiul Hasan,C'nawabganj

Mango production in Chapainawabganj, the largest mango producing district in the country, may fall short of target this year, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials, mango scientists and growers said. According to the DAE, about 22,300 hectares of lands are being used as mango orchard in five upazilas in the district. But DAE fixed a target of 1.5 lakh tonnes of mangoes this year, which is less of 53,500 tonnes of the previous year, because of less favourable weather condition at the time of budding. Growers and a number of mango scientists, however, disputed that a good production still might be possible as the weather condition throughout the year was not so bad. DAE and producers said, every year mango cultivation and production in this region increased due to the fruit's demand throughout the country. The production was 1,27,000 tonnes in 2006, 1,60,000 tonnes in 2007 and 1,53, 500 tonnes in 2008. Chief Scientific Officer of Regional Horticulture Research Centre, Chapainawabganj Abdur Rashid said, late budding followed by foggy weather and now erratic rainfall have dampened the prospect of a good harvest this year. According to FAO statistics, the largest mango producing countries are India-- 10.8 million tonnes, China-- 3.6 million tonnes, Pakistan-- 1.6 million tonnes, Mexico-- 1.5 million tonnes and Indonesia-- 1.4 million tonnes. On the other hand, Bangladesh produces only around 0.24 million tonnes of mangoes. DAE officials said, mango researchers evolved only four seasonal varieties of mangoes in the last 25 years. They are yet to evolve any early variety. So the importers bring mangoes from other countries at least two months before the arrival of local varieties. They import immature and low standard mangoes from India just for higher profit, said Shahidul Islam, a mango orchard owner at Naya Lavanga village of Shibganj upazila.