Mango growers in Bangladesh have long complained that production costs keep rising while they do not get fair prices, partly because supply floods the market in the main season. Researchers have now developed a new variety, BARI Mango-19, which fruits late in the season, in August, when supply is low and prices should be better.

The Regional Horticulture Research Station in Chapainawabganj, one of the country's main mango research centres, has so far developed 16 mango varieties, and two more have come from other stations. BARI Mango-19 has been proposed to the relevant authority for approval, and researchers hope seedlings could be available next season if it is approved.

Dr Md Sharaf Uddin, acting chief scientific officer of the station, said the variety was developed with growers' interests in mind. Its yield, taste, storage life, disease resistance and adaptation to the country's weather were tested over a long period before it was proposed for approval.

Md Abdul Halim, additional deputy director (crops) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Chapainawabganj, said BARI-4 is currently the most popular BARI mango, while demand for other BARI varieties is comparatively low. BARI-19 will reach the market towards the end of the season, especially around August, when supply usually falls, so growers could get better prices.

Ismail Khan Shamim, general secretary of the Shibganj producers' cooperative society, said a new variety is a big challenge for growers. "A variety cannot be called successful just because it looks good or yields more. Taste, aroma, colour, storage life, transport suitability, disease resistance and market demand all matter," he said. He urged at least two years of testing in different soils and climates before commercial expansion.

Researcher Sharjana Akter Saba of the Department of Rural Development at Chapainawabganj EXIM Bank Agricultural University said new varieties can reduce demand for traditional ones, and the district's traditional mangoes must not be lost.

Grower Umor Ali of Kansat union said new late varieties had caused him losses for years, with Fazli squeezed out by Amrapali, but that BARI-19's late arrival could still be profitable. Mojibur Rahman of Shibganj said seasonal growers are hurt as new varieties arrive every year.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.