Farmers in Patuakhali and the wider south, known for rice and pulses, are now prospering from fruit too. The area under improved mango varieties in the district grows every year.

This year commercial mango orchards cover 350 hectares in the district. With proper care and good weather, yields are good, and the mangoes are selling at good prices in local markets.

Patuakhali farmers used not to be interested in growing fruit commercially, so demand in the months of Jyoishtha and Asharh was met with fruit from other districts. Those days are now past: local growers have begun to take over the market from the start of the season to the end.

Sarowar Kazi is a successful mango grower in Patuakhali. He has set up an orchard on 50 decimals next to his home in Bashbaria union of Dashmina upazila. Two years ago he planted saplings of about 25 local and foreign mango varieties there, collected from various districts. This year he expects to sell Tk 5 lakh worth of mangoes from the orchard.

"I saw that mangoes came to our area from Rajshahi and the north," Sarowar Kazi said. "Often the mangoes had formalin and pesticides on them, and many people fell ill after eating them. So I decided to set up my own orchard, produce safe fruit and sell it at a fair price. With that plan I had Tk 60,000 of earth cut behind my house and planted mango saplings."

He said: "I planted 25 varieties, from Katimon, Kiu Jai, Himsagar, BARI-4 and Banana Mango to Amrapali. All the trees have fruited well this year, although some blossom dropped in the intense heat and drought. Last year I sold about Tk 1 lakh of mangoes, and this year I hope for at least Tk 5 lakh. I am also giving mangoes to people in the area, and from this year I will start selling good-quality mango grafts."

People from across the district crowd to see the orchard every day. Because the fruit is free of harmful pesticides and formalin, visitors are picking and buying it straight from the trees.

Jalilur Rahman Sohel, who came from Patuakhali town, said: "Commercial mango growing is not common in Patuakhali and the south. I heard about this orchard and came to see it today. I liked it and took advice from Sarowar Kazi. I will see if we can set up an orchard like this in our area."

Mohammad Nazrul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Patuakhali, told Jagonews that farmers' interest in fruit growing is increasing every year in the district, and the area under cultivation is growing with it. About 1,000 hectares in the district are under commercial fruit farming, mostly mango, and the agriculture department is supporting growers at all times.

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