SM Sahidul Islam, Satkhira

Mango harvesting has begun in Satkhira as per the schedule set by the district administration. Juicy and delicious mangoes from Satkhira have officially entered the country's markets since Monday (May 5). Local varieties of mangoes including Gopalbhog, Govindabhog, Bombay and Golapkhas have entered the market in the first phase.

Satkhira Deputy Commissioner Mostaq Ahmed inaugurated the mango collection in Satkhira district by harvesting mangoes from the mango orchard of Billal Hossain in Satkhira Fingri Union at around 10:30 am on Monday. The Satkhira district administration has been taking this initiative for the past few years to safely market mangoes while maintaining the quality of the mangoes.Wholesalers have started collecting mangoes in various upazilas of the district since morning. Local farmers said that both demand and prices are good in the market.Satkhira Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Monir Hossain said, "Satkhira mangoes ripen the earliest in the country's market. That is why they are in the highest demand. The taste of mangoes from this district is incomparable."A target of selling and exporting mangoes worth around Tk 400 crore has been set this year. However, the administration is taking a strict stance on ensuring that mangoes are not ripened using chemicals or harmful substances.According to the Agriculture Department, mangoes from Satkhira have been exported abroad since 2016. There is a demand for Himsagar and Amrapali varieties of mangoes in various countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The Agriculture Department further said that in order to market poison-free and quality mangoes, the date for mango collection is fixed by a joint decision of the Agriculture Department and the district administration. Some varieties of mangoes ripen earlier. The demand for Satkhira mangoes is a little higher as mangoes are available in the market before the start of the season. On the other hand, there is a risk of financial loss in adverse weather conditions. Satkhira mangoes are valued in the country and abroad. The district administration has prepared a mango collection and marketing calendar for collection from mango trees according to the variety of mangoes. However, according to the calendar, a new date has been set for the collection of local varieties of mangoes including Gopalbhog, Gobindabhog, Bombay, Gopalkhas, Baisakhi on May 5.Due to weather, climate, special soil qualities and geographical reasons, mangoes of Satkhira ripen earlier than other districts of the country. Among them, Gobindabhog, Gopalbhog, Himsagar, Langra and Amrapali mangoes have gained great popularity in the country and abroad. As a result, farmers here get comparatively better prices because they reach the market earlier.

According to the information of Satkhira District Agriculture Department, there are about 5,000 mango orchards in the district on 4,135 hectares of land. The target of mango production in the current season has been set at 62,800 metric tons. Of this, a marketing schedule has been set to maintain the quality of 500 metric tons of mangoes. The mangoes produced in this district have the potential to be sold for 400 crore taka.

However, mango farmers are expressing extreme anger over the market management. They allege that since there is only one market in Satkhira (Satkhira Sultanpur Barabazar), everyone has to sell mangoes there. Due to the lack of sufficient space in the market and the adjacent roads, farmers are facing various difficulties during the sale. Due to this, they are also deprived of fair price.

Farmers claim that they would have gotten better prices if several more markets were opened in the district and mobile wholesale markets were set up in open fields. They have urged the district administration to take immediate and effective steps in this regard.

If the government takes initiative, mango farmers of Satkhira will get fair price. This will increase the number of farmers and create employment for the unemployed