Mango trees in bloom. Photo: BSS

 
By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, March 9, 2025 (BSS) - With the arrival of spring, the superb blossoms on mango trees are a sign of a bumper yield of this popular fruit, delighting farmers in the Rangpur agricultural region this season.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said mango trees in the orchards and homesteads have worn exciting yellowish looks with excellent flowering amid favorable climatic conditions.
 
"Farmers have started taking care of their blooming mango trees with a hope of getting excellent yield and more profits during this on-season in the region," Deputy Director of the DAE's Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Afzal Hossain told BSS today.
 
As this season is counted as an on-season, around 95 percent of mango trees have already bloomed with a possibility of 98 percent sprouting by this weekend in the region.
 
The sprouting process in mango trees started a little late this time following a relatively longer winter amid foggy weather as the prevailing climatic conditions now are highly appropriate for sprouting and formation of the fruits.
 
After getting repeated bumper production with the lucrative price of mango and changing their fortunes in recent years, many farmers have started its commercial basis mango in all five districts of the region. 
 
"Farmers produced 84,874 tonnes of mangoes by cultivating the fruits in 6,189 hectares of land during the last season in Rangpur agriculture region," Afzal Hossain said, adding that the mango cultivated land area is little more this season.
 
Of them, farmers produced 38,508 tonnes of the highly tasty, popular, fibreless and local indigenous variety 'Haribhanga' mango from their orchards in 2,556 hectares of land in all five districts of the region last season.
 
"During the last season, farmers produced 29,772 tonnes of 'Haribhanga' mango from orchards in 1,910 hectares of land in Rangpur district alone," he said.
 

Deputy Director of the Burirhat Horticulture Center of the DAE in Rangpur Dr. Md. Abu Sayem said although all types of mangoes are cultivated in the Rangpur region, Haribhanga mango has gained commercial fame in this region. 
 
"Cultivation of Haribhanga mango has changed the economic standard of living of the people and it has already been recognized as a GI product. Therefore, there has been a huge demand for this mango in the country and abroad," he said.
 
Farmers are taking care of the blooming mango trees so that the fruit could grow abundantly leading to a bumper production. 
 
He lauded the DAE officials for extending assistance to farmers and suggesting them for taking proper care of blooming mango trees at the flowering stage and controlling attacks by hoppers and other pests, if any, on mango flowers.
 
"If the climatic conditions, fluctuation in temperatures, rainfall, attack by pests and insects remained within tolerable limits during the next few months, formation of mango would be smooth and superb to yield bumper production," Sayem said. 
 
Talking to BSS, farmer Mofazzal Hossain of Podaganj village in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur said he has been cultivating Haribhanga mango in his orchards for the last 18 years and has achieved self-reliance through farming of this highly profitable mango.
 
Farmer Mukul Shah of village Chand Kuthirdanga in Badarganj upazila said he has been cultivating the highly tasty, popular, fibreless and local 'Haribhanga' mango in his orchards on 15 acres of land for the last 16 years.
      
"I am happy with massive sprouting in mango trees and hoping to ultimately get a bumper production of the fruit this season," Shah said.