Falgun has not yet arrived and winter is at its height, yet some mango trees in Dinajpur have already started to blossom. Mango blossoms are peeking out on trees in several areas. There are not many yet, but their scent is spreading on the air.

Early blossom can be seen on mango trees beside the Dinajpur-Dhaka highway, at the toll plaza turning west of the Mohanpur bridge in Sadar upazila, inside the No. 3 Fazilpur union parishad, at Modern Mor in Dinajpur town and in other areas. Bees are now buzzing around the blossoms.

Ruhul Amin, owner of a mango tree at the Mohanpur turning, said: "The tree is about 12-15 years old. It has blossomed early for the past two years. It is a guti variety. I am happy to see early blossom again this year. If the blossom survives, there will be a bumper crop."

He added that dense fog brings a risk of the blossom rotting and being lost, and very dense fog is being seen this year.

A mango tree in the temple grounds at Modern Mor in Dinajpur town has also blossomed. Khokon, a computer trader at the municipal market who was under the tree, said: "This tree has blossomed early for the past two or three years. This year too it has blossomed heavily."

Md Anisuzzaman, additional deputy director (crops) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, said the mango blossoms have started to appear ahead of time mainly because of the weather and the variety.

He said some mango trees blossom early every year, and this year too they have begun. If they are not caught by dense fog, these trees give an early crop; if the weather is hostile, they bear no fruit. But trees that blossom at the end of Magh, as they normally should, will keep their blossom.

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