Rajshahi starts exporting mangoes to Europe's chain shops

Keeping their traditional intrinsic value and similar to previous years, Rajshahi has started export of mangoes to eight European countries such as England, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France and Russia this year.

Mangoes produced in Bagha upazila areas are being exported to the foreign countries. Harvesting of mango has already been started in the district since Sunday last.

Hortex Foundation and Department of Upazila Agriculture Extension jointly launched the mango exporting works through Food and Agriculture Organization.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Sabina Begum said 50 big orchard owners were given certificate after listing them for mango export. Prior to this, they were imparted training on production of safe and poison-free mango through agriculture management.

BSTI Laboratory tested mangoes from 200 to 300 grams each produced in lead farmers' orchards through best practices. A team of commerce ministry also visited the orchards and adjudged the mangoes as exportable. The superior varieties of mangoes will be exported.

Around 100 tonnes of mango are likely to be exported from Rajshahi to the foreign markets this year creating high hope among farmers, traders and others concerned.

Deb Dulal Dhali, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), here said the mangoes were produced through adopting fruit bagging technology.

Last year, 30 tonnes of mangoes produced through fruit bagging technology were exported to different European markets.

The success has been achieved by dint of promoting best hygiene practice and other modern technologies in some mango orchards commercially in the district last year for the first time yielding more than 50 tonnes of exportable safe and disease-free mango.

Agriculturist Dhali said mango farming in fruit-bagging method has gradually been rising here for the last couple of years. If the mango was cultivated through this method there is no need of pesticide use. As a result, mango remained in poison-free condition.

Mango farming was started through this system experimentally after importing a special type of bag from China in 2015. Fruit bag can be initiated when age of mango is 40 to 45 days. Since then there is no need of spraying any pesticide or insecticide on mango.

Ashrafuddola, a mango farmer of Kaligram village under Bagha upazila, said he started using fruit-bagging technology since last year and got better yield and market price than conventional system. Bagged mangoes are protected from storm like natural disaster.