The long wait for mango lovers is over as the mango harvesting season officially began in Rajshahi on Thursday with the collection of early guti varieties from orchards across the city and nearby upazilas.
Farmers are now busy harvesting and transporting the fruit to local markets, abiding by the instruction of the local administration.
According to the growers, although the yield this year appears slightly better than last year, prices at the beginning of the season are relatively low.
Visiting orchards in Rajshahi city, as well as in Puthia and Bagha upazilas on Thursday morning, this correspondent found farmers busy collecting ripe guti mangoes from trees and transporting the fruits to nearby wholesale markets.
Anwar Hossain, a mango grower in the cantonment area of Rajshahi city, said that they had begun harvesting the 鈥楽agarika鈥� variety, one of the many types of guti mangoes.
鈥楾hese mangoes ripen earlier than the popular premium varieties and many people also refer to them as 鈥榓ati aam,鈥� he said, adding that there are more than 300 guti varieties, including Chosha, Baishakhi, and Chapra.
At Baneswar Bazar, the largest mango market in Rajshahi, grower Ami Hossain Palash told 抖阴精品 that large size guti mangoes were being sold for Tk 1,400 per maund on the first day of harvest, while smaller size between Tk 800 and Tk 1,000.
鈥楥ompared to last year, mango prices are lower at the start of the season,鈥� Ami said.
Earlier on May 7, in a meeting with mango growers, traders and agricultural officials, the Rajshahi district administration announced this year鈥檚 mango harvest calendar, allowing farmers to collect their seasonal fruit on May 15.
According to the schedule, harvesting of guti varieties of mango in the district will begin on May 15 while Gopalbhog variety will hit the market on May 22.
Besides, the district administration has also set May 25 for harvesting Ranipasand or Lakshmanbhog, May 30 for Khirsapat and Himsagar, June 10 for Langra, June 15 for Fazli and Amrapali, July 10 for Ashwina, July 5 for BARI Mango-4, July 15 for Gourmoti, and August 20 for Elamoti varieties of mangoes.
According to the Rajshahi district agricultural extension department, 2.60 lakh tonnes of mangoes are expected to be harvested from 19,603 hectares of land in the district.
