Although the mango season is officially over, the bustling Kansat mango market in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj, remains active, with late-season and year-round varieties still drawing growers and buyers.
Growers are bringing Ashwina, BARI-4, Gaurmati, Katimon, Banana Mango and Khirsapat varieties to the market every day, keeping trading activities lively at the country’s largest mango market.
Currently, Ashwina mangoes are selling for Tk80-100 per kg, BARI-4 for Tk150-180, Gaurmati for Tk160-180, Katimon for Tk170-180 and Banana Mango for Tk180-200. Prices are somewhat lower when mangoes are purchased wholesale by the maund.
Meanwhile, off-season production of Khirsapat, also known as Himsagar, has emerged as a new possibility for local growers. The variety, which usually reaches the market in May and has GI recognition, has been successfully grown experimentally in August by several farmers in Shibganj.
Khirsapat mangoes are still hanging from trees in several orchards in the upazila. With strong consumer demand, buyers are offering Tk20,000-25,000 per maund for the mangoes directly from orchards.
Golam Mostafa, a mango grower from Argara village in Shibganj, is one of them. He said he had previously relied on seasonal mangoes but failed to get the expected returns. He later began cultivating Katimon and Gaurmati mangoes and also grafted Katimon branches onto Khirsapat trees to change the variety.
After grafting, he found that Katimon mangoes grew on the grafted branches while flowers appeared on the original parts of the trees. With continued care, the trees produced Khirsapat mangoes outside their usual season.
He is currently selling the off-season Khirsapat mangoes for around Tk25,000 per maund.
“I have already sold around Tk80,000 worth of off-season Khirsapat mangoes. I will bring the final batch to the market in another two weeks,” Mostafa said.
He sees the production of Khirsapat and Katimon mangoes on different parts of the same tree through grafting as a new possibility. However, he said the method remains experimental and needs scientific verification before it can be commercially adopted.
Dr Md Sharaf Uddin, acting chief scientific officer at the Chapainawabganj Regional Horticulture Research Centre, said Khirsapat mangoes have strong domestic and international demand.
“Large quantities of mangoes enter the market at the beginning of the season, often preventing growers from getting the prices they expect,” he said.
The centre has taken note of the off-season production of Khirsapat, he said, adding that they had not previously been aware of such production outside the normal season. The centre would look into the matter, he added.
Growers are also satisfied with the prices of late-season varieties at Kansat.
Ashraful Islam, a grower who brought Katimon mangoes to the market, said the variety was selling for Tk6,000-8,000 per maund at the end of the season, which he considered satisfactory compared with production costs.
Abdus Salam, who brought Banana Mangoes to the market, said BARI-4 mangoes were selling for around Tk7,000-8,000 per maund, while Banana Mangoes were fetching around Tk8,000.
Growers from different parts of the district continue to bring late-season mangoes to Kansat every day. The market remains busy with the calls of buyers and sellers, while prices fluctuate slightly from day to day.
Shafiqul Islam, who came from Dhaka to buy Khirsapat mangoes, said the experimental success in producing the variety outside its normal season indicated new possibilities.
“If different varieties of mangoes become available throughout the year, it will also be attractive to consumers,” he said.
The Department of Agricultural Extension’s Deputy Director Atikul Islam said mangoes were cultivated on 37,487 hectares of land in Chapainawabganj this season, with a production target of 458,912 metric tonnes.
Officials said the supply of late-season mango varieties was continuing even as the season neared its end.
Stakeholders said expanding production of late-season varieties, along with greater opportunities for storage, processing and exports, could strengthen Chapainawabganj’s mango economy beyond its dependence on the few months of the traditional season.
They also said scientifically validating and commercially developing the experimental off-season Khirsapat production could open up a new avenue for mango growers.
