Friday, May 25, 2012

Mango means earning more money especially in Rajshahi Division.

Who does not love mangoes – with their unique flavor, fragrance and texture? The King among Fruit is thriving very well in Bangladesh, thanks to the modern methods of horticulture that are used to nurture the mango trees. Mangoes grow widely all over Bangladesh and there are innumerable varieties to charm the connoisseur. Each variety has its own admirers. Some of the better mangoes are the superior grafted varieties whereas the local or Deshi aam is grown from seedlings.

The main mango growing regions are around Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Nawabganj, and Dinajpur. The better varieties of mangoes have exotic names like Fazlee, Langda, Gopalbogh, Himsagar, Khirsapat, Ashhwina, Khisanbogh, Kuapahadi, Lata Bombai, Foria, Bombai, Kohitoor, Laksmanbhog, Mohanbhog, Misribhog etc. Fazli, Lengra, Gopalbhog and Khisrapat are considered to be the premier varieties – food fit for the Gods!

Each has its distinctive flavor and arguments about the superiority of one over the other can get very serious. Though these are table varieties, meant to be relished as cut fruit, there are others that are used for making jam, jelly, squash, chutney, and pickle. The raw green mango is even added to a dal or curry to enhance the flavor.
Once only Chapainawabganj was famous for growing mangoes, but huge mangoes are also produced in Rajshahi district. There are over 270 varieties of sweet edible mangoes in the Rajashahi region alone. Newer groves are being set up and high-quality fruit trees have been planted along the boundaries of the paddy fields.
December to February is when the mango trees blossom. These grafted mango plants quickly start bearing blossoms only a year or two after the planting. Mango growers try hard to nurture and support their young trees during this period. If all goes well at this time of the year the growers can expect a bumper crop of mangoes. The mango grows in almost all parts of Bangladesh but the commercial and good quality grafted mangoes with known varietal names are mostly grown in the North-Western districts (Sub-tropical zone) and mangoes of unknown varieties are grown in the South –Eastern(Tropical zone) and other parts of the country. The position of mango is 5th in terms of area and 3rds in production among the fruits grown in Bangladesh. Mango occupies an area of 310498 ha out of a total fruit area of 994387 ha and a production of 802750 metric tons out of a total of 3292005 metric tons which shares 31.22% of the area and 24.38% production of fruit crops in Bangladesh (BBS All crops summary (2008-2009).
PRESENT STATUS:
Area and production of mango from 1999 to 2008
Year
Area(ha)
Production(metric ton)
1999-2000
50492
187220
2000-2001
50625.50
187880
2001-2002
50694.33
187375
2002-2003
507996.60
142690
2003-2004
51012.15
242605
2004-2005
25054.66
662100
2005-2006
25972.47
639820
2006-2007
29108.91
766930
2007-2008
310498.0
802750



Mango is the leading seasonal cash crop of the northwestern region of Bangladesh and dominates the economy in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts. There is no large industry here. Most of the people are employed for different jobs on the orchards such as nursing, harvesting and packing mangoes for transportation during the season every year.

No comments:

Post a Comment