Bumper 'Haribhanga' mango harvest likely, business activities begin. Photo: BSS

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, April 24, 2025 (BSS) - Amid predictions of a bumper harvest of the 
indigenous variety "Haribhanga" mango this season, business activities have 
already started here for marketing the fibreless, fleshy and highly luscious 
seasonal fruit.
 
Officials, experts and farmers are expecting a bumper harvest of Haribhanga 
mango this season, although its cultivation was somewhat hampered by drought 
in February and March.
 
Later, frequent rainfall in April helped the seasonal fruits grow well, 
predicting a bumper harvest of the popular summer fruit and creating hopes of 
better profits for farmers this time.
 
Enthusiastic Haribhanga mango farmers are now very busy tending to their 
mango orchards and dreaming of the golden dream of bumper harvests and better 
profits.
 
Many mango traders from Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Cumilla and other 
regions and local online youth mangeo traders are flocking to buy 
'Haribhanga' mangoes grown on orchard trees in Mithapukur upazila and other 
parts of the district.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) have predicted a 
bumper production of 'Haribhanga' mangoes of improved size during the mango 
harvest, starting from the last week of May and continuing until next July.
 
Although all varieties of mangoes are cultivated in the Rangpur region, in 
the last few years, Haribhanga mango has gained commercial fame in this 
region changing the economic standard of the people. 
 
"Haribhanga mango has already been recognized as a Geographical Indication 
(GI) product of Rangpur, which has created a huge demand for it locally and 
abroad," DAE's Rangpur region Deputy Director, Krishibid Md. Afzal Hossain 
told BSS today.
 
During the last season, farmers produced 38,508 tonnes of 'Haribhanga' mango 
from their orchards in 2,556 hectares of land in all five districts of the 
region.
 
"Of them, they produced 29,772 tonnes of 'Haribhanga' mango from orchards in 
1,910 hectares of land in Rangpur district alone last season," he said, 
adding that farmers have brought little more land under its cultivation this 
time in the district.
 
'Haribhanga' mango is mostly being cultivated in the orchards in Podaganj, 
Akhirarhat, Khoragachh, Matherhat, Rangatipara, Paikarerhat, Tekani, 
Moyenpur, Kadamtala, Lalpukur, Shukurerhat, Shikarpur, Kashimpur and other 
villages in Mithapukur upazila of the district. 
 
The mango is also being cultivated on commercial basis in dozens of villages 
under all other seven upazilas of Rangpur and other places of Gaibandha, 
Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur agricultural 
region. 
 
While visiting some of the Haribhanga mango orchards in these villages 
recently, this reporter found mango farmers busy watering the roots of the 
Haribhanga mango trees and sprinkling water on the tender mangoes growing on 
the trees.
 
Monirul Islam, a mango farmer from Lohanipara in Badarganj upazila, hoped 
that if the weather remains favorable for the next two months, there will be 
a bumper harvest of Haribhanga mangoes this season.
 
Farmer Nur Hossain of Podaganj village in Mithapukur upazila said, "If the 
weather is favorable and proper care is taken, there will be a good yield of 
Haribhanga mangoes this season and good profits will be made."
 
Successful mango farmers from various villages in Mithapukur upazila, 
including Afzal Hossain, Golam Mostafa, Ansar Ali, Bablu Master and Ruhul 
Amin have also predicted a bumper harvest of Haribhanga mangoes this time.
 
"Like many other farmers, I have been cultivating Haribhanga mangoes in my 
orchard for the past 18 years and achieved self-reliance," said Golam 
Mostafa.