It is the month of Chaitra, and young mangoes have started to appear on the trees. But although Fazli and Ashwina trees blossomed more than last year, they have set little fruit, leaving growers worried about the yield.

The agriculture department says the young fruit is dropping because of low rainfall, but that it is still hopeful the required amount of mangoes will be produced.

Checks in Islampur, Ranihati, Kansat, Shibganj, Monkosha, Bhangabridge, Shyampur, Khasherhat, Chamabazar, Muslimpur and other parts of the district found that Fazli, Ashwina, Khirsapat, Lakshmanbhog, Amrapali, BARI-4, Gopalbhog and all other trees blossomed heavily this year. Pleased, growers tended their trees. Then on 20 March it suddenly rained at night, and growers stopped worrying, expecting it to be good for the mangoes. But since the rain the young fruit has kept dropping. Now Fazli, Ashwina and some other varieties do not have enough fruit on their trees, and growers are anxious about the yield.

Enamul Haque, a mango grower in Shyampur union, said: "I have orchards of several varieties this year. The Lakshmanbhog and Khirsapat have plenty of young fruit, but the Ashwina and Fazli blossom has very little, almost none. The blossom is still dropping, so I fear for the Fazli and Ashwina yield."

Kawsar Ali, a mango grower in the Ranihati area, said: "Every one of my trees had plenty of blossom, so I started tending them and spent a lot of money. But now I see there is no young fruit."

Ahsan Habib, member secretary of the Chapainawabganj Mango Foundation, said: "This year I have trees of several varieties, including Banana Mango and Amrapali. All of them blossomed well, but a few days ago the young fruit started dropping. The Ashwina and Fazli trees in particular do not have enough fruit, and the Amrapali trees have little too. I am worried about the yield."

Ismail Khan Shamim, general secretary of the Shibganj Mango Producer Co-operative Society, said mango growers have suffered in various ways for several years. "This time too young fruit is dropping from almost every tree, but most of all from Ashwina and Fazli," he said.

"The government gives incentives to small and medium farmers for all crops, but there is no incentive for mango growers. Our demand is that incentives be arranged for us too," he said.

Palash Sarkar, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said a good number of orchards in Chapainawabganj cannot be irrigated, which is why some fruit is dropping. "But we still hope mango production will be much higher this year, because there was much more blossom," he said.

Mango orchards cover 37,855 hectares in Chapainawabganj district, and this year's target has been set at 4,25,000 tonnes.

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