Mango growers worried over marketing amid virus restrictions
Mango growers in Chapainawabganj, popularly known as the capital of mango productions in the country, are passing their days in great worries as the marketing of their produce has become uncertain amid the restrictions imposed to slow down coronavirus transmissions.
Local farmers said if the situation does not improve, they will have to count huge financial losses in this season.
Mango is the main cash crop of Chapainawabganj farmers. Hundreds of delicious varieties of mangoes, including Gopalbhog, Khirsapat, Langra and Fazli are produced in the district.
Mangoes produced here are supplied to different parts of the country. Alongside meeting the local demand some are exported to other countries. Mango harvesting will start in mid-May.
This time, there is no smile on the faces of mango growers and traders in the region because of the COVID-19 situation in the country, the mango growers said.
They said in this season the yield is not as good as previous years. In the beginning of the season, there were huge buds in mango orchards, but later that declined due to unfavourable weather.
According to the growers, they could not take proper care of their gardens due to the highly infectious lung disease situation and now they are worried about the marketing of the seasonal fruit amid suspension of transport and restrictions on free movement of the people.
“Normally, seasonal fruit traders come to buy whole mango orchards. But this time, there is no ‘orchard buyer’ due to the coronavirus restrictions. In such a condition, we're fearing huge losses,” said Ohid Ali, a mango grower of the district.
Another mango grower, Abdur Rakib, of Arambagh area, said, “The quantity of mango production this year is much poor than the last year. No wholesale trader visited our orchards so far. If they don’t come, how will we sell our mangoes?”
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), this year mangoes were cultivated on 33,035 hectares of land in the district with a target of producing 250,000 tonnes.
DAE deputy director Nazrul Islam said the mango growers are now passing days amid serious anxieties due to the coronavirus restrictions. He, however, asked them not to worry. “There's no reason to worry about. Initiatives will be taken from the administration so that mango-laden trucks could move to different areas across the country.”
Nazrul Islam also said it will take 20-25 days for the mangoes to hit the market. And by then, Ramadan will be over. "After the Ramadan, there'll be no problem in marketing mangoes with the improvement in the coronavirus situation," he hoped.