<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">As the winter season says goodbye, tens of thousands mango trees have been flowering in Rajshahi region, famous for the production of the seasonal delicious mango fruit nationwide.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Huge blooming of mango trees at this stage predicts an excellent production of the most popular fruit in the region this season, if the climatic conditions remain favourable till its harvesting period.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abul Hossain, a farmer of Mazar Diar village in Paba upazila, said buds started appearing in mango trees this season before the end of winter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Motaleb Hossain, a mango grower of Charghat upazila, said he has over 200 mango trees in his orchard. He has cultivated a large variety of mangoes this season. He expects a handsome profit for the blooming of mango trees this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station (FRS) Dr Shafiqul Islam told BSS that the prevailing climate condition is suitable to blossom in mango trees.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mango trees were also seen sprouting early at various places. Hundreds of thousands of mango trees have already bloomed and worn eye-catching looks with huge flowers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Every year new mango orchards, especially of Amrapali, BARI mango-3 and 4 varieties are rapidly increasing in the districts, said agriculturists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Naogaon was long known for paddy cultivation, but for the last couple of years it became the highest mango-producing district, surpassing the mango capital of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Islam said Chapainawabganj still has the highest amount of land covered by mango orchards, but Naogaon saw a one-and-a-half-times increase in its mango farm acreage annually over the last 10 years, according to the latest official data given by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The area covered by mango orchards in Naogaon increased by 14,925 hectares in the period; while the increase was 9,520 hectares in Chapainawabganj.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mango farming is not only increasing, but it is changing as well. Instead of creating mango orchards for a hundred years or more, farmers are targeting only 10 years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Normally 10 mango trees are planted in one bigha of land, but in the new farming method, farmers can plant up to 200 trees in the same space, said Md Nuruzzaman, a mango grower of Porsha upazila of Naogaon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"These trees will bear fruit for 10 years or less, and then we have to uproot them and replant."</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The growth of mango orchards is the highest in two Naogaon upazilas- Porsha and Sapahar. They have 72 percent of the orchards of the district, says DAE.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, around 45 to 50 percent mango trees have already sprouted in Chapainawabganj while 55 to 60 percent in Rajshahi on an average as there maining mango trees are expected to sprout by mid-March in some cases, he continued.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On behalf of the FRS, many of the grassroots mango farmers were imparted training to yield maximum output side by side with safe production after the best uses of modern technologies, Dr Shafiqul Islam added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shamsul Wadud said the farmers have been caring and taking measures for making mango farming successful everywhere.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The farmers have been keeping contacts with the agriculture officers at the field levels to control the possible attacks by hoppers and some other pest attacks on the mango flowers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are around 35 lakh mango trees of different ages on some 23 thousand hectares of land in the region, said the DAE officials concerned.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The number of growing mango trees has been increasing in the region for the last couple of decades. Mango, the leading seasonal cash crop of the northwestern region, vitalizes the overall economy of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After witnessing the present climate condition, both the growers and the officials are very much optimistic about high yield of the seasonal fruit. BSS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>