Various varieties of mango have started arriving at Sapahar market in Naogaon, and the market is coming alive with the calls of buyers and sellers.

Sapahar is a large mango market in the north of the country. Only a few days ago it was quiet. Picking of guti (local) mangoes had begun, but the market was not busy. Since Gopalbhog mangoes arrived, however, it has come alive. Picking starts at dawn, and as the day goes on mangoes arrive by van, bhotbhoti and auto-rickshaw. Mango growers wait in the harsh sun to sell along some 500 feet of the Sapahar-Najipur road, starting from the zero point in the upazila headquarters. There are about 250 commission agents' depots on both sides of the road.

Mango grower Golam Rabbani of Amair village in the upazila said that when he brought 17 crates (9 maunds) of Gopalbhog mangoes to market, traders offered Tk 1,540 a maund. However, mangoes are selling at various prices in the market, starting from Tk 1,400 a maund.

Mango grower Faizul Kabir of Dighirhat village in the upazila said: "I have taken a five-bigha orchard of Gopalbhog, Fazli, Langra and Himsagar mangoes. The Gopalbhog mangoes have been brought to market first. Traders are offering Tk 1,100 to 1,200 a maund. With the lack of rain this year, production costs for tending the mangoes have been higher. With these prices we will make a loss."

Alam Hossain of the same village said: "After agreeing a price and taking the mangoes to the depot, we have to give 50 to 52 kg as a maund. At that point it is not possible to take them back from the depot. And mangoes from the same orchard fetch one price in the morning and another in the afternoon; in the afternoon they sell for Tk 300 to 400 less a maund. This is a manipulation by traders. The price of mangoes and the reckoning of the maund should be looked into."

Md Rezaul Karim, vice-president of the Sapahar Arotdar Samity (commission agents' association), said guti, Ranibhog and Gopalbhog mangoes have started arriving. These varieties are selling at Tk 1,200 to 1,500 a maund, guti at Tk 800 to 900 and Himsagar at Tk 1,500 to 1,700 a maund. Mangoes are sold at 48 to 50 kg to the maund, which includes the weight of the crate. Even if the weight is higher at first, it comes back to normal after the juice dries off and many spoiled mangoes are discarded. About 900 to 1,000 maunds are being traded daily at a few depots. In a few days, when supply increases, all the depots will open and get busy. Mango prices are somewhat lower now because lychees and palm fruit are on the market; once the lychee market ends in the next 5 to 6 days, mango prices will rise.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 30 May, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder inaugurated the picking of Gopalbhog mangoes at an orchard in Godown Para, in the Sapahar upazila headquarters. The minister said the drought has made the mangoes somewhat smaller. "We must make sure farmers get a fair price for mangoes. Everyone wants to eat cheaply, but no one understands the farmers' hardship. They are getting a fair price for paddy, and I hope growers will get a fair price for mangoes too. Farmers are the life of the country; we must save them," he said.

In line with the schedule set by the district administration and the district office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), mango growers began harvesting with the picking of guti (local) mangoes on 22 May.

According to the Naogaon DAE schedule, guti (local) mangoes may be picked from 22 May, followed by Gopalbhog from 28 May, Khirshapat/Himsagar from 2 June, Nak Fazli from 7 June, Langra/Haribhanga from 10 June, Fazli from 20 June, Amrapali from 22 June, and Ashwina/BARI-4/Gourmoti/Katimon from 10 July. Growers will pick mangoes from their orchards according to this schedule.

A target has been set to produce 3,78,000 tonnes of mangoes on 30,000 hectares in the district, at 12.50 tonnes per hectare. Mango trade worth about Tk 2,000 crore is expected this year.

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