Picking and marketing of mangoes from the trees has begun in Rajshahi this season. Under the mango calendar, farmers and traders began bringing down guti (local seedling) mangoes on Thursday (15 May). At the start of the season, guti mangoes are selling at Tk 1,300 to 1,500 a maund.

Farmers hope to get quite good prices this time, and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) says mangoes will bring in Tk 1,600 crore this year.

Under the calendar, Gopalbhog can be picked from 22 May, and Lakhna (Lakshmanbhog) and Ranipasand from 25 May. Himsagar and Khirsapat are set for 30 May, Langra (the "banana mango") for 10 June, and Amrapali or Fazli for 15 June. Orchard owners can pick BARI-4 from 5 July, Ashwina from 10 July and Gourmati from 15 July. Katimon and BARI Aam-11 can be picked all year round.

The DAE said mangoes are being grown on 19,603 hectares in the district this year, with a production target of 260,006 tonnes. Last season, mangoes were grown on 19,602 hectares in the district.

Farmers were seen bringing mangoes down from a number of trees on the first day, starting the season with local guti mangoes.

Nazir Udin, a grower in Puthia, Rajshahi, picked mangoes on the first day. He said he has leased a 4.5-bigha orchard this year, which has two guti mango trees, and he began picking from those two trees that morning. There was a good response in the orchard itself on the first day, with mangoes selling for Tk 1,300 to 1,500 a maund depending on size.

He added that the yield is very good this year, and if no natural disaster strikes he will make a good profit.

Umme Salma, deputy director of the DAE in Rajshahi, said marketing of Rajshahi's mangoes began that day and farmers could pick them, but only guti mangoes for now. The yield is good this year, she said, and on the basis of the target Rajshahi's farmers will earn Tk 1,500 to 1,600 crore from mangoes.

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