Home ›› 09 Jul 2022 ›› Opinion
Mahales, an ethnic community based in Tanore, Rajshani are ecstatic to eat mangoes that they produced themselves. “In the last 80 years, the Mahale people have not been so joyful; this year they have had much pleasure from eating mangoes from their trees.” Cecilia Hajda, a Mahale woman, remarked. “We would not have been able to buy mangoes for the entire period of the season when the kids yearned for them. We felt awful. Getting mangoes this time made them very delighted.”
In the Tanore Upazila of Rajshahi, a small village called Panchndar is located close to Mandumala Bazar. There are 50 Mahale families without land. They have spent almost 80 years residing on khas land owned by the government. Despite their interests in gardening or pastimes, they have not yet been successful in locating a plot of land on which to plant any fruit trees. They, therefore, decided to plant 25 mango trees in their cemetery a few years ago. Everyone has a stake in the cemetery; no one person owns it exclusively. So everyone benefits if you grow a mango tree here.
Earlier mangoes were stolen regularly since there was no fence. This time, a fence was built. No mango was stolen. After the mangoes ripened, they collected them and divided them into 50 equal parts. Each family got six kilograms of mango. There were still mangoes left. They gave them to the poor.
There are not many instances of such love for mangoes and such a wonderful example of humanity at the same time.
The government of Bangladesh shares the nation’s enthusiasm for mangoes with its citizens. The government is working hard, according to food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, to deliver mangoes to markets around the world and across the nation. According to media reports the special mango train with 3,000 kgs of mangoes left for Dhaka from Rahanpur Rail Station in Chapainawabganj on June 12. Mangoes can be inexpensively transported to Dhaka using this train. It costs 1 taka 31 paisa from Chapainawabjganj and 1 taka 17 paisa from Rajshahi to send 1 kilogram of mango in this train. On this train, one can send agricultural products, eggs, and seasonal fruits to Dhaka.
Even though the mango train was introduced in 2020, it did not receive much attention at the time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In any case, it is a pleasure to bring the famous mangoes of the Rajshahi region within the reach of people all over the country. This kind of attempt will surely succeed in the future by correcting its mistakes.
The Barind region used to be somewhat barren. There have been successful mango farming there now for two decades. Mango production has been particularly strong this year in the Porsa and Sapahar districts of Naogaon’s high Barind region. The nation’s largest mango-producing region is presently Naogaon. A huge amount of mango is produced at Chapainawabganj. In the Rangpur neighbourhood of Badarganj, the Haribhanga mango has earned a distinctive name.
People all over the country want to eat Rajshahi mangoes. People, especially Langra, Fazli, Amrarpali, Khirsapati, etc. Each mango has different characteristics. However, in the mango season, so many mangoes are not available at once. There is a kind of secret manipulation of nature here. That is why it is seen that mangoes do not ripen all over the country at the same time. Mangoes from Satkhira usually ripen earlier. Then the mangoes of the northern region ripen. Mangoes of the Rajshahi region ripen towards the end. It is seen that mangoes are available in the market for two to three months.
The significance of mango conservation is being emphasized by many people. There is no such institution to do this work either in the public or the private sector. Some special rules are followed only in the case of sending abroad. However, even in this case, the issue of conservation did not get much priority.
Mangoes are exported from Bangladesh to several countries worldwide, especially in all the countries where Bengalis reside.
Sending mangoes overseas is subject to a number of regulations. It is decided which region or garden the mangoes would come from first. The insecticide is sprayed on the mango while it is still in the tree, preventing it from catching insects. The mangoes must then be manually plucked up from the tree to prevent any stains from appearing on them. When gathering mangoes, it is important to take precautions to prevent the white stems from landing on the fruit, and both the mangoes and the stems should be gathered. Then it is packed and sent abroad observing the proper rules.
However, if one wants to store a mango for two weeks, one has to collect the mango with the stem by hand. Then it has to be kept at a temperature of 10-12 degrees centigrade. If you want to store mangoes at home or commercially for six months or more, after collecting the mangoes, you can lightly remove the mango peel or top part and store it in an airtight container with vinegar and some other things. Usually, all the factories that make juice store mangoes in this way. Mangoes can also be stored at home in this way. In addition, when storing mangoes at home, each mango can be wrapped in a separate newspaper and stored in the refrigerator.
When there are many mangoes in the market, many complain that the traders inject them with formalin to give them a long shelf life. This destroys the nutritional value of the mango and also kills the taste of the fruit. Eating these mangoes can make people sick. Immediately, many people get affected with stomach aches or diarrhoea. Doctors say that people are suffering from various diseases, including kidney, heart, and cancer, by eating fruits injected with formalin.
However, experts say that the country has the technology to properly store mangoes. Preserving mangoes using the knowledge of agricultural scientists and experts in our country is not a problem. Rather, the country will benefit from it. There is a huge demand for mangoes in our country, and wide varieties of mangoes are produced in the country. Vietnam earns about 40 billion a year by exporting agricultural products. Bangladesh, on the contrary, earns about two billion dollars.
In countries like Vietnam or Thailand fruits like mango and jackfruits are dried to make a variety of food items which are rich in many nutrients, and all these foods can be eaten for a long time. They also export these abroad. Bangladesh can make these types of food items by drying mango and jackfruit in various ways. Those who are working with mango also know the issues and they are also interested in them. However, those concerned said that the work has not been done for any reason. Besides, mango pulp or juice can also be made and exported abroad. Bangladeshi mangoes are in great demand in the world market for different varieties and unique tastes.
Needless to say, the country can earn a lot of foreign exchange by exporting mangoes. This requires some planning and proper decision-making. By selecting the areas where good quality mangoes are produced, work can be done from the beginning to conserve them. A pulp and juice factory has to be set up in the vicinity of the area to make pulp and juice. This will reduce the cost of transporting mangoes, and mangoes will not be wasted during transportation.
It is also very important to make different types of food by drying mango. Just as it will help meet our nutritional needs, it will be available throughout the year if stored. This will benefit mango farmers and traders economically. Just as the government has to take the initiative, non-governmental organizations also have to come forward. The government alone cannot handle the matter. Therefore, the participation of the private sector is essential.
However, the government can provide special training to farmers on the safe production, collection, packaging, transportation, and marketing of mangoes. To make mango production economically successful, its preservation and marketing are essential. Formalin should not be used on mangoes.
The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be contacted at shanu.mostafiz@gmail.com
