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New mango variety from Rajshahi to hit world market soon


Published : 12 Mar 2021 09:20 PM | Updated : 13 Mar 2021 12:36 AM

It was just an exhibition of colours. There was none but be attracted with the eye-dazzling colours of the mangoes now being produced, though in a limited scale, at Rajshahi Fruit Research Station. 

Not only in respect to colours but also in aroma and taste, have these mangoes proved incomparable. Scientists at FRS in Rajshahi were highly optimistic about the commercial marketing of the mangoes abroad. 

These prized mangoes with dazzling vermilion-red, Azure-blue and enchanting green colours are now being produced in Rajshahi for last couples of years. Already FRS scientists have started release of the mangoes in markets after year-long research. 

Officials of  FRS in Rajshahi informed, for several years, a limited quantity of quality, toxic free mangoes are being exported in various countries from Rajshahi. Aiming at getting a satisfactory price and an attraction from the customers abroad, scientists of FRS started research with those coloured variety of mangoes and they have been succeeded in releasing those mangoes in the markets. 

The mango would be commercially cultivated in Rajshahi naturally without using any toxic chemicals and without wrapping it under packages. In near future such attractive mangoes would hit the world market, they mentioned. 

A panel of agro-scientitists of Bangladesh Agriculture Reasearch Institute including Dr. Balal Chandra Sarker, Principal of Promology division  and Scientific Officer of  BARI, Chief Scientific Officer of Promology Monoranjan Dhar, Scientific officers Mahrufa Afroze and Anindita Roy had inspected the growth and quality of the coloued mangoes. 

They expressed their deep satisfaction over the future prospect of this enchanting coloured mangoes. They mentioned, those mangoes will not only get attention from local consumers but also be in a never ending demand from abroad. The prospect of exporting the mangoes is very bright.  BARI officials were attended, among others, by Chief Scientific Officer of FRS Alim Uddin and scientific Officer Atikur Rahman. 

Meanwhile, for last couples of years,  Food and Agricultural Organisation( FAO) has been initiating to export mangoes from Bagha upazila of Rajshahi to various European countries under the joint supervision of Hotex Foundation and Upazila Agriculture Extension Department of Bagha upazila. In 2018 a team from the Ministry of Commerce and the Hotex Foundation had visited various mango orchards of the upazila and chose the mangoes to be exported abroad. 

Already, at least 40 mango farmers of the upazila were enlisted and trained for growing mangoes suitable for export. Already, toxic and chemical free mangoes weighing 200 to 300 gram each produced at the orchards of lead farmers through better agriculture management have been selected for export after chemical test  of samples of those with BSTI in Dhaka. 

Several teams from the ministry of commerce have also visited the mango orchards during last February-May in 2018 and 2019 and approved those mangoes suitable for export  and from then, Himsagar ( Khirsa) variety of mangoes are being exported abroad.

Meanwhile, all those coloured mango trees in Rajshahi have been blossomoed fully and the agriculture scientists working with these oloured mangoes are expecting a bumper production of the mangoes this year as well.  

Sources of Agriculture Extension Deparment in Rajshahi, however, have indicated a bumper production of mango in Rajshahi district this year. 

Deputy Director of DAE, Rajshahi, Umme Salma said, there was a huge turn out of mango flowers in the district during the current season. The mango farmers are being advised to pour water at the foot of the trees so that the flowers are not dried up. There has been no rainfall in the district for a long time that is why the condition of mango flowers in the district is very good and those are already turning to tiny-mango gutis (green-fruit). She added, the DAE has fixed a target of producing 214, 483 metric tonnes of mango in Rajshahi district during this season.