Mango orchards have been expanding in Naogaon, in the north-west of the country, over the past two decades. Last year the district produced more mangoes than any other in the country, and the local agriculture department has set a target of 4.5 lakh tonnes this season.

Now Naogaon's bond with mangoes has grown stronger. The Nak Fazli mango has been given the geographical indication (GI) name 'Naogaon's Nak Fazli Mango'.

The recognition followed an application by an organisation called the Badalgachhi Nak Fazli Mango Growers' Association, with help from the Naogaon agriculture department. GI status is expected to raise the profile of, and demand for, Badalgachhi's mango in national and international markets.

Abul Kalam Azad, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Naogaon, confirmed the recognition. He said the GI certificate was handed to Advocate Mozaffar Hossain, president of the Nak Fazli Mango Growers' Co-operative Society Limited, at a discussion held on 1 May to mark World Intellectual Property Day. Industries adviser Adilur Rahman and culture adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki presented the certificate.

The application for GI registration of Naogaon's Nak Fazli was made in February 2017 to the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries. It was later published in GI Journal No 56. After the statutory two-month wait, with no notice of objection from any party, the GI name 'Naogaon's Nak Fazli Mango' was granted and the certificate issued.

Abul Kalam Azad said Nak Fazli is a late-season variety. It ripens from the last week of June and is harvested until the first week of August. The fruit is large, long and flat, on average 10.5 cm long and 4.4 cm thick, and weighs about 300 grams. The skin of the ripe fruit ranges from almost green to light yellowish, and the flesh is yellow. It is tasty and sweet, with a thin skin and a long, flat, thin stone. It was first grown in Badalgachhi upazila, which still grows more Nak Fazli than anywhere else in the district.

Badalgachhi upazila agriculture officer Sabab Farhan said Nak Fazli is unmatched in taste, sweet and fragrant. "It is not just a fruit but an important part of this region's heritage, culture and farm economy. Its taste, nutritional value and many uses have made it known across the country. With GI recognition, Naogaon's Fazli has become an asset of the whole country."

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