At the start of the season, orchards across the Rajshahi region were full of golden blossom, and mango growers were hopeful. The blossom seemed to promise a good yield. But the picture has changed. Drought, erratic weather and pest attacks are causing young mangoes to drop, and the expected yield is not coming. The situation, spread across large parts of the region, has dashed growers' hopes and raised fears of a production shortfall.

Growers were busy tending their trees from before the blossom appeared, irrigating, spraying pesticides and checking regularly. Even so, many orchards have not yielded as hoped because of adverse weather, leaving owners disappointed. However, those involved believe that if the mangoes still on the trees fetch good prices at the height of the season, some of the loss can be recovered.

Abdur Rahim, a grower in Paba upazila of Rajshahi, said: "There was good blossom. Because of the drought, the fruit could not be held. I don't know how to handle the situation."

Motiur Rahman, a grower in Bagmara upazila, said that although a bumper yield was expected at first, less than half the fruit is now left on the trees. "Mangoes are dropping every day. The cost of fertiliser, pesticide and irrigation has all gone up, but the yield has fallen. We are at a loss," he said.

Azmat Ali, a grower in Godagari upazila, said: "I tried everything to save the mangoes, but because of the water shortage many trees did not fruit properly. If I don't get a good price in the market now, it will be hard even to repay my loans."

According to the agriculture department, mangoes have been grown on about 99,000 hectares in the Rajshahi region this season. Output could reach about 12 lakh tonnes, with a potential market value of about Tk 6,500 crore.

Mango growers in the region have faced one crisis after another in recent years. Drought, rising production costs and a standstill in marketing during long Eid holidays in the season have kept them trapped in a cycle of losses. This year raised hopes of a profit, but those hopes are now at risk.

Mohammad Nasir Uddin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi, said a set schedule will be issued so that immature mangoes are not picked early. "We are also working to ensure farmers get a fair price," he said.

He said initiatives have been taken on alternative ways of preserving mangoes, such as making aamsotto (mango leather), chips, jam and jelly.

Dr Azizur Rahman, additional director of the district DAE, said farmers are being trained to preserve and process mangoes themselves, so they can still profit in other ways even if market prices fall.

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