Fruit growers in Pabna are succeeding with late mango varieties such as Gourmoti and BARI-4. One of them, Mridul Biswas, has become well off growing late mangoes with fruit bags, and many young people are following his lead.

The agriculture department says late varieties bring two to three times more profit than other mangoes, while fruit bagging gives consumers mangoes free of poison. More steps will be taken to spread late varieties from next year.

Mridul Biswas of Dubolia in Pabna Sadar began growing mangoes as a hobby three or four years ago. Late varieties were profitable, but insect attacks were a problem, and because heavy pesticide use harms health, he turned to fruit bagging. Last year he bagged mangoes on a hundred trees and profited well. This year he has used 4,000 fruit bags in his five-bigha orchard and expects to sell at least 500,000 taka worth of mangoes.

As a teacher, he said, he never wanted customers to buy poisoned mangoes from him. He added that bagged mangoes are not less sweet; they are sweeter than others.

Mangoes that sell at 40 taka a kilogram in the main season can fetch at least 100 taka a kilogram late in the season, he said. His success is encouraging other young people to plant commercial late-mango orchards, and his orchard provides work for many.

According to the agriculture department, fruit bagging can give mangoes completely free of disease and insect attack without pesticides and cuts pesticide use by 70 to 80 per cent.

Dr Jamal Uddin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pabna, said growers use fruit bags to make sweet mangoes pesticide-free and exportable. The bags cost money but are profitable, and late varieties raise the price several times. He said Mridul Biswas has set an example in the area.

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