Mango harvesting in Rajshahi begins tomorrow

Mango harvesting of the current season is going to start from tomorrow (Wednesday) everywhere in the district to ensure the natural ripening of the seasonal delicious fruit.

Farmers can harvest the local and indigenous varieties from tomorrow, while Gopalbhog from May 25, Ranipachhand and Lakhna from May 25 and Himsagar or Khirshapat from May 30.

They can also harvest Langra from June 10, Amropali and Fazly from June 15, BARI Aam-4 from July 5, Ashwina from July 10, Gourmati from July 15 and Ilamati from August 20.

The District Administration has announced a mango harvesting calendar fixed the date in a meeting with all stakeholders related to mango harvesting and marketing held at the conference hall of Deputy Commissioner (DC) on Sunday last.

With DC Shamim Ahmed in the chair, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Additional DC Kolyan Chowdhury, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Umme Shalma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Sabina Yeasmin and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nur Hossain Nirjhar.

In the meeting, the target has been fixed to produce around 2.15 lakh tonnes of mango from different mango orchards, on 18,515 hectares of land, here this year and the district administration has issued notices fixing the dates for harvesting different varieties of mangoes.

DC Shamim Ahmed said the district administration will remain vigilant against harvesting and marketing of immature mangoes. 

Law enforcing agencies and upazila administrations were already given instruction to this end.

He also said there will be adequate measures to make the transportation and marketing of mangoes successful.

Meanwhile, the West Zone of Bangladesh Railway will launch a ‍‍`special mango train‍‍` on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route via Rajshahi from June 10 for the fifth consecutive time.

This time, the special train will depart from Rohanpur railway station at 4 pm and reach Dhaka at 2.15 am with stoppage at 14 stations via Padma Bridge with facilities of transporting mangoes safely with low-cost and less-time.

Consisting of six luggage vans, the special mango train will have the capacity of carrying 172.98 tonnes of mangoes.

It will cost Taka 1.43 to carry a kilogram of mango to Dhaka from Rajshahi, and it is Taka 1.48 from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka.

General Manager of the West Zone Asim Kumar Talukder said the railway has transported 39,95,798 kilograms of mangoes earning revenue worth about Taka 46,29,140 during the last four years since 2020.