<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Farmers are all smiles thanks to the bumper production of mango in Chapainawabganj district.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Mango is the main cash crop in Chapainawabganj, and this year the price of mango seems profitable in the local market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The mango farmers are busy nurturing their orchards in the district.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After meeting local demand, a huge quantity of different varieties of mangoes are being supplied to other parts of the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the district’s Department of Agriculture Extension, there are 37,588 hectares of mango orchards and the government has set a target to produce 4,40,956 metric tonnes of mango this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Production of mango this year has exceeded that in the previous years. Last year, 3.25 lakh metric tonnes of mango were produced in the district.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This correspondent spoke to some mango farmers. They said, due to the hot temperatures and inadequate rain, the average size of mangoes are a tad small, but ripe, juicy mangoes will start flooding the local markets within next week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Serajul Islam, a mango farmer of Nashipur area in Sadar upazila, said, “This year we have seen a good yield of mango, though a drought-like situation is going on. We sprayed water on the trees to deal with the situation.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He expected a bumper yield of mangoes if no hailstorm happens.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abdur Rakib, another mango farmer, said, “We are happy with the local administration’s decision over not fixing the day for harvesting mangoes. We hope we will be able to provide our mangoes when they are fully matured.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also claimed that the market price of mango is good and if it remains so, farmers will make profit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Azizul, another mango farmer, said that this year, the farmers saw a good yield of four varieties of mango including Fazli, Khirsapat, Bombay Khirsa and Langra.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First, the farmers will be harvesting Guti and Gopalbhog varieties of mango then the market will be flooded with Khirsapat, Langra, Fazli, Amrapali, Bari-4 and Aswina mangoes in phases, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Palash Sarkar, deputy director of the district DAE, said, “This year, mango trees in the district were blessed with an abundance of blossoms, and the yield of mango is also good.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“During drought-like situations, we asked the mango farmers to spray water on their trees,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, the local administration has not fixed any schedule for harvesting mangoes in Chapainawabganj.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There will be no fixed time for plucking and marketing mangoes. The fruits can be harvested only when they are matured, said Chapainawabganj Deputy Commissioner AKM Galiv Khan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They have decided to take strict action if anyone tries to pluck and market mangoes that have not fully matured, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Local administration also decided to conduct mobile court drives to check use of chemicals on mangoes, and a monitoring team will remain in force to ensure safe and chemical-free mangoes. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>