Rangpur Correspondent:

The highly acclaimed, fibreless and delicious local variety of ‘Haribhanga’ mango is likely to hit the local market from the third week of June in Rangpur and its adjoining areas.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) on Saturday that the harvesting process of ‘Haribhanga’ mango will start from mid-June and continue till next July in the region.

Meanwhile, business activities have already begun focusing on harvesting the ‘Haribhanga’ mango crop to market the fibreless, fleshy, and highly delicious seasonal fruit to local markets and consumers across the country.

Many mango traders from Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Cumilla and local online mango trader youths are flocking to buy ‘Haribhanga’ mangoes grown on orchard trees in Mithapukur upazila and other parts of Rangpur district.

Officials and farmers are expecting a bumper harvest of the highly popular ‘Haribhanga’ mango, which is in high demand in the local market and abroad, this season.

The tender ‘Haribhanga’ mangoes are now growing magnificently after frequent rains in recent weeks.

During the last season, farmers produced 38,508 tonnes of ‘Haribhanga’ mango from their orchards in 2,556 hectares of land in all five districts of the region.

“Of them, they produced 29,772 tonnes of ‘Haribhanga’ mango from orchards in 1,910 hectares of land in Rangpur district alone,” said Deputy Director of Rangpur DAE Agriculturist Md Sirajul Islam.

Enthusiastic farmers have cultivated ‘Haribhanga’ mangoes on more land in the district this time.

Commercial cultivation of ‘Haribhanga’ mango is expanding fast in all eight upazilas of Rangpur and many villages in Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Gaibandha, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts.

Although all varieties of mangoes are cultivated in the Rangpur region, in the last few years, Haribhanga mango has gained commercial fame in this region changing the economic standard of many people.

“Haribhanga mango has already been recognized as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of Rangpur, which has created a huge demand for it locally and abroad,” Sirajul Islam added.

Farmers and traders are expecting to make an excellent trade of ‘Haribhanga’ mango worth between Taka 180 crore and Taka 200 crore in Rangpur alone this time.

Mango grower Mostafizur Rahman of Podaganj village in Mithapukur upazila said farmers have taken proper care, and sprayed vitamins and pesticides on time following the DAE recommended doses to get huge numbers of mangoes in their trees.

Among the pioneers of launching ‘Haribhanga’ mango cultivation, Lutfar Rahman and Abdus Salam Sarkar of the same village said they have been cultivating the mango for more than three decades.

“I have been cultivating ‘Haribhanga’ mango on a commercial basis since 1990,” said Abdus Salam, adding that he has 25 mango orchards on 15 acres of land.

Observing his huge success, many farmers have planted thousands of ‘Haribhanga’ mango trees in Mithapukur and other upazilas of Rangpur alone.

Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur of the DAE Dr Md Abu Sayem said that commercial cultivation of ‘Haribhanga’ mangoes started in Mithapukur Upazila of Rangpur about three decades ago.

Due to its popularity, commercial cultivation of ‘Haribhanga’ mangoes has expanded to all eight upazilas of Rangpur and many upazilas of Nilphamari, Dinajpur and other adjacent districts.

“The characteristics of mangoes are that they are fibreless, fleshy, sweet and delicious, with small mango seeds inside. The skin is thin,” he added.