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Mango and litchi pods are falling due to scorching heat and drought for the last two weeks in Rajshahi district.
Due to rain at the beginning of the season and favourable weather condition, the farmers were expecting a bumper production, but now they are disappointed.
The heat wave has been sweeping the Rajshahi region for the last two weeks.
The farmers complained that if this drought and heat wave continue for a long time, there may be a disaster in the fruit production.
According to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Rajshahi, mango has been cultivated on 18,798 hectares of land in Rajshahi district while the target of production has been set for 0.22 million tonnes.
Last year, mango was cultivated on 18515 hectares of land while the production was 0.26 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, litchi has been cultivated in 512 hectares of land in the district while the production target has been fixed at 3665 tonnes.
Moazzem Hossain has a garden with 18 mango trees and 12 litchi trees in the Harian area of Paba upazila of Rajshahi district. He said at the beginning of the season all the trees were full of buds due to favourable weather condition. But now some trees in the southern part of the garden are shedding their buds due to heat wave.
Moazzem said that he watered the trees by digging around their roots to prevent the fall of the little fruits. "If this situation continues, I may face huge losses this year," he said.
Ariful Islam, a garden owner in the city Chhotabon area, said that almost all the trees had buds this year and he expected a bumper yield.
"But, my expectation may come to an end if the heat wave persists. Many little mango and litchi pods are drying up and falling," he added.
Abdus Salam, a senior meteorologist at Rajshahi Meteorological Observatory, said the temperature has been increasing in Rajshahi for the last few days. There is no possibility of rain in Rajshahi in next one week, he added.
Dr Md. Shafiqul Islam, chief scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruit Research Institute, informed that it was natural that some mango and litchi pods would fall. "If all the pods survive, the trees will not be able to carry them," he said, adding that mango and litchi pods are falling comparatively more this season due to heat and drought.
He advised the growers to water their gardens to prevent the fruits from drying up and falling.
Mozdar Hossain, Deputy Director of DAE, Rajshahi, said that they had asked the farmers to hold water around the base of the tree and spray water on the pods to prevent the fall of the fruits.
He said that if the trees were properly taken care of, there would be a little damage.