Chapainawabganj has seen rain after a long time. A light drizzle fell from morning until midday on Friday, 21 March, bringing relief to mango growers. Although it was not a downpour, the agriculture department says the rain is a blessing for mangoes.

Several mango growers from the Pukuria area of Shibganj upazila, including Sohel Rana, Abdul Alim and Enamul Haque Swapan, said that although 95 per cent of orchards in Chapainawabganj had blossomed, ten days of excessive heat and fog meant young fruit did not set in proportion. "So we have been spending our days in despair. But seeing the rain from Friday morning has brought back relief," they said.

Ismail Khan Shamim, general secretary of the Shibganj Mango Producer Co-operative Society Limited, said fruit set this year is low relative to the blossom. Dense fog on several mornings destroyed quite a lot of young fruit. "But today's rain has greatly benefited the young mangoes. Now they will grow quickly. The rain has washed all kinds of dirt off the mango trees, so the fruit will get light and air," he said.

Dr Md Yasin Ali, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Chapainawabganj, said young mangoes had been dropping from the blossom because of excessive heat. With the drizzle, the young fruit will grow quickly, so the rain is a blessing for mangoes.

Last year mango was grown on 37,604 hectares in Chapainawabganj. This year it covers 37,504 hectares, 100 hectares less than last year.

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