Interest in Naogaon's Nak Fazli mango has grown across the country since it was recognised as a geographical indication (GI) product. But some dishonest traders and growers are accused of taking advantage of that interest by marketing immature mangoes before the proper time. Buyers who do not get the taste they expect are left with a bitter experience: some get mangoes that are mushy and foul-smelling inside, while others never ripen at all and dry up and spoil.

Experts say the situation has been created by picking immature fruit and applying chemicals in the hope of bigger profits. This could threaten both the reputation and the market of Naogaon's GI-recognised Nak Fazli.

Arif Raihan works as an engineer at a private company in Dhaka. On 13 June he bought 45 kg of Nak Fazli mangoes from Badalgachhi upazila in Naogaon for Tk 2,400. He was pleased to receive them quickly, but two days later, when he went to eat them, he was disappointed.

"After they ripened a little I cut them properly. But inside they were mushy, sour and slightly foul-smelling. It looked as if they had been ripened with some chemical before they matured. In the end I had to throw all the mangoes away," Arif Raihan told Jagonews.

His is not the only such experience. An agriculture officer in Naogaon was also embarrassed after sending Nak Fazli mangoes as a gift. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that because he works in Naogaon he sent the traditional local mango to a senior official. But even after several days the mangoes did not ripen; they dried up and went flat. When the recipient sent him photos of the spoiled fruit, he felt embarrassed and ashamed.

According to the agriculture department, an application for GI registration of Naogaon's Nak Fazli was made in February 2017. After the required process, the mango was recognised as a GI product under the name "Naogaon's Nak Fazli mango". The GI certificate was handed to Advocate Mozaffar Hossain, president of the Nak Fazli Mango Growers' Cooperative Society Limited, at an event marking World Intellectual Property Day on 1 May 2025.

Nak Fazli is a late-season mango, known for its large size, thin skin, sweet taste and special aroma. It usually matures in the last week of June and can be harvested until the first week of August. This year, however, large quantities reached the market before the normal time.

Local sources said that as demand and prices rose after GI recognition, some dishonest growers picked the fruit while still immature in the hope of more profit, then ripened it quickly with chemicals and sold it. As a result buyers are being denied the taste and quality they expect.

Monjur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Naogaon, told Jagonews: "Many Nak Fazli trees in the Badalgachhi area are old, and some problems can also arise because of their age. But we will seek the help of the mango research centre to find the real cause. They can study the matter and give a precise explanation."

Dr Md Sharaf Uddin, chief scientific officer of the Chapainawabganj Regional Horticulture Research Station, told Jagonews: "Various ethylene-based ripeners are available on the market. When these chemicals are applied, mangoes look ready to eat within 24 to 48 hours, but in reality they are still not mature."

He added: "Most of the mangoes were taken down from the orchards before Nak Fazli was due to mature. So when buyers eat them they can tell they are immature. In many cases they are rotting inside and out, and the taste is also spoiled."

There had been hardly any complaints about Nak Fazli over the past two decades. Sharaf Uddin said this was because the mangoes used to be harvested at the proper time.

"Demand has risen since GI recognition. Hoping for more profit, some growers harvested mangoes before the right time, and the negative impact is now being felt in the market. If this continues, buyers' confidence in Nak Fazli will fall, and in time this traditional mango will be at risk of losing its market," he said.

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