"Rajshahi's Fazli mango" has won geographical indication (GI) recognition following an application by the Rajshahi Fruit Research Centre, said Alim Uddin, chief scientific officer of the centre.

It was published in GI Journal No 10 of the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks under the Ministry of Industries, released on 6 October.

Chief scientific officer Alim Uddin said the Rajshahi Fruit Research Centre applied for the recognition on 9 March 2017.

He said Fazli mango is grown in all nine upazilas of Rajshahi, and the Fazli of Bagha upazila is especially well known. Two hundred years ago Fazli mango was known in the markets of Kolkata as Bagha Fazli. This history, along with the historical records behind it, was presented in the GI application.

"There is no longer any way to deny that Fazli belongs to Rajshahi. With recognition as a GI product, Rajshahi's Fazli has become an asset of the whole country," Alim Uddin said.

Fazli is a late-season mango variety. It ripens from the second week of July and is harvested until the second week of August. After picking, the fruit takes 7 to 8 days to ripen, and it takes about five and a half months from flowering to maturity.

The fruit is quite large, long and flattened. On average it is 13.8 cm long and 7.8 cm thick and weighs 655 grams. The skin of ripe fruit ranges from almost green to light yellowish, and the flesh is yellow. Fazli mango is tasty and sweet, with thin skin and a long, flat, thin stone.

Source: Dhaka Tribune. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.