The scent of mango blossom fills the air across Meherpur, and the district's orchards are now in full bloom. With the weather favourable, orchard owners and farmers expect a bumper crop this season. But alongside the joy of a good harvest, the export market and the deadline for picking mangoes have left them worried.

Visits to orchards across Meherpur found the trees covered in golden blossom, with trees in large and small orchards alike bowed under its weight. Growers have no time to rest, tending their trees tirelessly to protect the blossom from insect attack.

Growers say the rate of flowering is much higher this year than in the past few years, and the weather has so far been very helpful for mangoes. But the harsh swing between intense heat by day and biting cold at night has them somewhat worried. If all goes well, the blossom will set fruit within about a week, and the tasty mangoes of "Madhumas", the honey month, will reach the market at the end of the Bengali month of Baishakh.

Despite the good crop, orchard owner Sakhawat Hossain is anxious. He complains that the specific timetable, or "mango calendar", set by the administration for picking mangoes often puts growers in difficulty.

Local orchard owner Billal Hossain said angrily: "For the past few years we haven't got permission from the administration to pick mangoes at the right time. The mangoes ripen and fall from the trees, but we can't take them to market. And because mangoes are not exported, we have to take big losses."

Orchard owner Sumon Hossain said: "The blossom is good, but if an export market isn't created and they don't set the picking dates at the right time, all our work will be wasted. We want the government to arrange mango exports so that we get a fair price."

The agriculture department, for its part, points to various initiatives to ease growers' worries. Sanjib Mridha, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Meherpur, said: "We are regularly advising growers in the field on orchard care, and we are working to create opportunities for mango exports. We are aware of the farmers' concerns. We will inform the ministry in detail about setting the right time for harvesting mangoes so that orchard owners do not suffer losses."

According to the DAE in Meherpur, the district has mango orchards on about 2,400 hectares this season, with a production target of 44,000 tonnes this year. The office hopes the target will be exceeded if the weather stays favourable to the end and proper management is ensured.

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