NATORE: Heat wave and drought affect mango production almost 40 percent of the fruits fell from the trees before ripening.
Prolonged drought and heat wave affect the mango production in Lalpur upazila of Natore district this year. Unfavorable weather has disappointed mango farmers in the districts. Immature mangos are falling off trees due to this weather.
The Upazila Agriculture Office says, ‘The annual average mango production is about 27,075 tonnes from over 1,805 hectares of land in the upazila of the district’.
Mango orchards had 80 percent buds this season. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 26,075 tonnes of mango at the rate of 15 tonnes per hectare from these lands. However, due to unfavorable weather conditions, mango traders and farmers said that this time the yield of mango will be less than the target set by the agriculture office.
Mango farmer Mostafa Bayezid Quader said, ‘He has 4 bighas of mangoes orchard of different varieties. This time, due to intermittent rains at the beginning of the season, almost all the trees in the mango orchard have young leaves instead of buds. All the mango pods are falling off due to drought and heat wave. Mango trader Nazmul Hussain says, ‘This time tender leaves have appeared in his garden. There are no mango pods in the garden.
Lalpur Upazila Agricultural Officer Rafiqul Islam said, "Mango cultivation depends on the weather. This time due to unfavorable weather mango yield may be a little less. However, the Department of Agriculture is recommending regular irrigation of mango orchards and spraying of water on small mango trees at the farmer level. "If it rains, the mango pods will stop falling," he said.
This year the production of mangoes is likely to decrease as a remarkable number of mango trees in mango orchards have no fruits on them. Even the trees those borne mangoes last year are showing remarkably less yield. Expressing apprehension a number of growers said despite massive sprouting in the very beginning of the season, production of mango might fall this year due to scanty rainfall coupled with heat wave which caused massive dropping of growing mangoes.
Farmers said the dropping of green mangoes would reduce production, particularly in the district. Scientific officer of Fruit Research Station, agreed that the production of mangoes would be significantly less than expected in the region.
"Mango production will not be satisfactory in my area this year as almost 40 percent of the fruits fell from the trees before ripening," said Kamal Hossain, a farmer from the upazila. Afazuddin, a mango trader of the upazila, said mango production was likely to suffer a setback this year due to unfavorable weather.
