Satkhira has had a bumper yield of mangoes this year. Due to not falling under the influence of natural calamities and storms, farmers are feeling happy at home due to higher yields. Garden owners and farmers are hoping that the loss of the previous season will be compensated this season.
In different areas of the district, the yield of mangoes was reduced due to adverse weather conditions last season. In this season, many mangoes are seen on every tree. It is seen that the farmers keep the branches with bamboo pillars so that the branches of the mangoes do not break. Farmers are elated with good yield. They are expecting a bumper crop of mangoes in Satkhira this time.
According to the sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension, this year, mangoes have been cultivated in 4,115 hectares of land in the district. The production target has been fixed at 45 thousand 500 metric tons. If there is no major natural disaster, the country's needs can be met and exported abroad. The income will be more than 250 crore Tk.
The source also said that due to good soil, air and climate, the district has been producing a lot of mangoes including Himsagar, Langra, Amrapali, Mallika, Gopalbhog, Govindbhog, Bombay and Gopalkhas for the past few years. The demand is also exported abroad. Mangoes from this district will go to England and some European countries for the ninth time this year.
Mango ripens earlier in Satkhira than in other districts due to climatic and environmental reasons. For this reason, the mangoes here are sold first in the market of the country. Farmers have suffered due to various natural calamities in the last few years. This time the yield has been good as the weather has been favorable. However, due to the extreme heat, some mangos have fallen. Agriculture Department claims that it will not affect the production. There are 5,299 sugarcane farms and 13,100 farmers registered by the government on 4,115 hectares of land in the district. The production target is 45 thousand 500 metric tons. The target will be exceeded as the weather conditions are favorable.
Abdur Rahim from Sultanpur of the city said, Satkhira mangoes are incomparable. The glacier here is famous. Lengra varities of mangoes are also in high demand. I bought 15 gardens last year. I have taken 20 leases this year. So far the weather has been favorable. Mangoes are growing fast. But due to lack of rain, the mangoes will not be very tasty. I have lost capital due to calamities in the last few years. This time there is a bumper yield, I hope to overcome the losses.
Touhidul Islam of Fingri area said that there was a loss due to low production last year. This time the bumper has been yielded. If the garden is leased, it costs a lot of money. A lot of money is spent on garden maintenance, pesticide application, post-harvest marketing, labor. If the yield is good, we make profit. Hope to see profit in this season.
Rahim Babu, the dealer of the big market, said that the yield of mangoes has been good. This season, raw mangoes are being sold at 15 to 16 hundred taka. Wholesale traders are buying raw mangoes from village farmers at low prices and taking them to different parts of the country including the capital. They are also getting good profits.
Noting that ripe mangoes were sold at Tk 50 per kg in the last season, Motiar Rahman also said that the price will be higher this season. Mangoes are sold up to Tk 80 per kg if they are big in size and beautiful in appearance.
Saiful Islam, Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department, said that Satkhira mangoes worth Tk 150 to Tk 200 crore were sold last season. Hope to sell more mangoes this season. As the weather was favorable this time, every tree had a lot of buds. That amount has been reduced. The size of the mango has grown from the pulp. Relatively less rain. Expecting more production for that.
Regarding the production target, he said, 45 thousand 500 metric tons have been predicted. The yield has been good. Expecting record production. On an average, mangoes will be sold for more than two and a half billion rupees at the rate of 60 per kg. Farmers have been trained to produce and export poison-free and safe mangoes, the agriculturist said, if everything goes well, it will be possible to export Satkhira mangoes to European countries.
Meanwhile, a schedule has been fixed by the district administration to procure and market mangoes in a safe manner. According to the schedule, farmers have been instructed to collect Gopalbhog, Govindbhog, Bombay and Gopalkhas and other local mangoes from May 12. Collection of Himsagar from May 25, Lengra from June 1 and Amprapali from June 15 has been ordered. Ripe mangoes before this will remain unripe.
Satkhira District Commissioner Humayun Kabir said that due to the government's emphasis on agriculture, there has been a revolution in mango production in Satkhira this season. We are working regularly with the district administration to market these mangoes properly.
So that the farmers do not market unripe mangoes, the right time for breaking mangoes for sale has also been fixed. Regarding the export of Satkhira mangoes abroad, he said that the current season's yield is better
than last season, so it is expected to be possible to export more mangoes abroad.
