In the last leg of around two-and-a-half-months long brisk business of mango, the sale of Fazli, king of the delicious fruit, has gained momentum in the region, particularly in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts which are popular for mango production throughout the country.
The mango of the two districts naturally ripens late and the growers can also preserve their fruits on trees for long for higher prices.
Mango is an important seasonal cash crop in northwestern Bangladesh, especially Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon.
Mozder Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has said, every season, many growers in a devote effort to yielding mangoes "It creates job opportunities for many people and they can earn some extra money," he added.
“Currently, if anyone visits the two districts, he or she will see mango and its vending and purchase some particular amount of the delicious fruit whatever the price is,” he also said.
Nurul Islam, a wholesaler of Kansat, said the mango will be available by the end of this month.
"Mango brings money to people from all walks of life in Baneshwar," said mango trader Shariful Islam, adding that even a labourer earns Tk 500 to Tk 1,000 per day during the season.
The traders are now getting the optimum price of Fazli mango as all other mango varieties have almost disappeared from the market. The traders and growers are also highly satisfied with the outputs.
Shafiqul Islam, a retailer of Shaheb Bazar Mango Market, said they are currently selling Fazli mangoes after depleting most of the conventional and tasty varieties like Gopalbhog, Langra and Khirsapat.
There are two other varieties, Ashwina and Amrupaly, on a limited scale in the market currently, he added.
Fazli mango is being sold at Tk 2,400 to Tk 2,600 per mound according to size and quality at many of the markets like Shaheb Bazar, Baneshwar, Charghat and Bagha of Rajshahi and Sadar and Moharajpur, Ranihati, Kansat, Mobarakpur, Chowdala, Rohanpur, Mallikpur and Vholahat in Chapainawabganj.
Nasirul Islam, a farmer of Belpukur village under Puthiya upazila, said the price of Fazli mango has doubled after the Eid vacation because of its gradually mounting demands.
Before Eid, one maund of mango was sold at Tk 1,200 to 1,400 at Baneshwar Bazar with a rise of Tk 100 per mound to the previous week.
In addition to creating employment for over one and a half lakh people, a transaction worth more than Tk 1,500 crore has been done centring mango farming, trading and transporting during the peak season.
Similarly, large numbers of people are seen engaged in garnering new mango orchards on the cultivable lands in the vast Barind tract and in the wetlands.
Shamsul Wadud, additional director of the DAE, said there are more than 2.60 lakh mango growers and orchard owners in the region comprising Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts.
Around 1.30 lakh people are engaged in various activities related to mango harvesting, segregating, packaging, transporting and marketing.
He added that the DAE has set a target of 10 lakh tonnes of mangoes from 80,360 hectares of land in the region this season while last year's production was 8,31,940 tonnes from 72,909 hectares of land.
Meanwhile, trading of mangoes online has gained a peak everywhere in the region benefitting both the sellers and buyers.
Many of the young entrepreneurs in the region are selling mangoes online after the best uses of Facebook, WhatsApp and other various social media sites.
