BSS, Rangpur :
Farmers have produced over 22,000 tonnes of fleshy, fibre-less and tasty local variety Haribhanga mango worth about Taka 176 crore in the district this year.
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials, harvest of the high quality mango ended in the small, medium and big orchards and homesteads by yesterday with a bumper production.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said cultivation and production of Haribhanga mango have been increasing every year and hundreds of farmers have already achieved economic self-reliance.
More than 6,000 farmers cultivated the mango in 4,000 small, medium, big orchards and homesteads on 5,500 hectares this season in the district alone as its cultivation has been expanding fast all over Rangpur division, he added.
The mango is largely being cultivated in Podaganj, Khoragach, Ruposhi, Zarullapur, Rangatipara, Bangaon, Chaker Pather, Paikarerhat, Rukniganj, Siraj, Tekani, Moyenpur, Kadamtola, Lalpukur, Shukurerhat, Sikarpur, Fulchowki, Tilakpara, Kashimpur, Ucha Balua, Matherhat and other villages of Mithapukur upazila.
Besides, the fruit is also being cultivated in Kutubpur, Arunnesa, Nataram, Rustamabad, Nagerhat, Chowpothirhat, Kanchabari, Gopalpur, Baroghoria, Airamri, and Mandalpara under Badarganj upazila, Kantabari, Palichora, Ramjiban under Sadar upazila and many villages under Pirganj upazila.
Harvest of Haribhanga mango began in early June when per kg average price of the fruit stood at Taka 60-70 and ended a couple days ago with the price reaching Taka 300, market sources said.
Farmers Mahbubul Alam, Abdus Salam, Jahangir Hossain, Bablu Master and Nur Islam informed the national news agency that they achieved complete self-reliance through farming the highly profitable mango in recent years.
Farmers Lutfar Rahman, Golam Mostafa, Ansar Ali and Salem Uddin said they have achieved a bumper Haribhanga mango production with better price this time to earn huge profits.
The farmers said they have been cultivating the mango in their orchards of one to two acres adopting local agronomical managements and without using any pesticides.
