Growers fear that mangoes will be relatively smaller in Rajshahi this year due to a lack of rain, although the average production has increased.
Shafiqul Islam, chief scientific officer at Rajshahi Fruit Research Station, blamed extensive heat and lack of rain for the smaller sizes of the fruit variety.
Over the last 5 years, the Rajshahi district administration has been fixing the deadline for picking mangoes in Rajshahi. The aim was to ensure that only safe mangoes reach the customer.
Mango harvesting began in Rajshahi and its adjacent areas on on Thursday. Like previous years, some indigenous varieties have already appeared in markets.
The District Administration fixed the date in a meeting related to mango harvesting, transportation, marketing and market monitoring held at the conference hall of Deputy Commissioner (DC) on May 3.
In the meeting chaired by DC Shamim Ahmed, a mango calendar was announced to ensure safe, poison-free and ripened mango in the markets.
Farmers started harvesting the local and indigenous varieties from May 4, Gopalbhog will be harvested from May 15, Ranipachhand May 20, and Himsagar or Khirshapat from May 25.
They can also harvest Langra from June 6, Amropali and Fazly from June 10, Ashwina and BARI Aam-4 from July 10, Gormati from July 10 and Ilamati from August 20.
Due to adverse conditions, mangoes are yet to ripen and will have to remain in trees for some extra days. Traders fear growers may resort to using chemicals to speed the process.
Although Guti variety mangoes were supposed to be picked from May 4, most of the mango growers are still waiting. The mango growers complained that the district administration has been too hasty in deciding the time for picking mangoes.
As a result, the market is mostly empty and many people are returning home without any mango. However, the district administration says that the mangoes of several gardens have ripened already.
Zainal Hossain from Vallukgachi village in Puthia, said that some mangoes were picked from the trees on the first day of the picking season. He said that these sweet and sour mango trees were recently planted.
Anwarul Haque, the founder of Rajshahi-Chapai Agro Food Producers, said that on the first day he too picked some mangoes but those were not ripe. He said they will have to wait another 10 to 12 days for mangoes to ripe naturally
Shafiqul Islam, chief scientific officer at Rajshahi Fruit Research Station, said that their representative was present at a meeting that decided the date for picking mangoes and they proposed May 10 as the starting date for picking mangoes. But the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the district administration proposed May for picking small varieties of mangoes. As per the calendar, larger varieties will be picked from May 15.
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Md Shamim Ahmed said that the district administration has fixed the calendar after discussion with mango growers and DAE officials.