Under the mango calendar, guti (local seedling) mangoes may now be picked, but they are not to be seen in the market. Picking of guti mangoes began on 15 May, but orchard owners are reluctant to bring down immature fruit.

The mango calendar was announced earlier, on 12 May, at a meeting on the collection, transport, marketing and monitoring of mangoes. Under the district administration's announcement, Gopalbhog, Lakhna or Lakshmanbhog and Ranipasand mangoes may be picked from 25 May, Himsagar and Khirsapat from 30 May, Langra and Banana mangoes from 10 June, and Amrapali and Fazli from 15 June. Orchard owners may pick BARI Aam-4 from 5 July, Ashwina from 10 July and Gourmati from 15 July. Last of all, Ilamati mangoes will be available in the market from 20 August.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), mangoes were grown on 19,578 hectares in Rajshahi district last season. This year mangoes are being grown on 19,602 hectares in the district, with a production target of 2 lakh 60 thousand 315 tonnes.

Baneshwar market in Puthia upazila, one of Rajshahi's main mango markets, has not yet started trading mangoes either. With unfavourable weather, the mangoes are taking time to mature, and the markets will have to wait at least another 10 days to get going.

On the ground, traders are selling various varieties of raw mangoes even though there are no ripe ones. One or two sellers are selling ripe mangoes brought from Satkhira. But the aratdars (commission agents) are counting the hours until the mango trade picks up.

Shahin Islam, a mango trader at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi, said picking of guti mangoes has begun, but traders have not got any yet. It will take another 10 days or so. Ripening on the tree is a little late this year, and he will bring them in once they are fully mature. There were rather more mangoes last time; this year there are very few, so the price will be a little higher too, he said.

Sohan Islam, a mango grower in Bagha, one of Rajshahi's main mango-producing upazilas, said: "Mangoes do not ripen by the deputy commissioner's date. The guti mangoes have not ripened by their date. Still, some people have started picking. In another 10 days or so, the mangoes can go to market properly."

Mango aratdar Raihan Ali said mangoes may be available in another three days. The fruit has not filled out much; once it fills out a little more it will be available, and mangoes will be available properly next week. But mango prices will be rather higher this year, he said.

Jahangir Alam, leaseholder of Baneshwar market, said: "The mango market has not started yet. The month of Jyoishtho is passing. Some guti mangoes should be coming in, but I cannot see them. And there are fewer mangoes this year anyway. The trees have only leaves, no mangoes. I doubt whether even a quarter of other years' sales will happen this time."

Umme Salma, deputy director (acting) of the DAE in Rajshahi, said most growers in the district are commercial growers who do not harvest guti mangoes much, and not many guti mangoes are grown either; what is grown here is branded mangoes. The mango calendar was announced by consensus, she said, and mangoes of the same variety or even the same tree ripen at different times. Whoever's mangoes are mature will pick them; it is already stated that immature mangoes must not be picked.

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