RANGPUR, Mar 01: Litchi growers of Rangpur division are in joyous mood as the blooming litchi trees across the region have assumed a captivating eye-catching look with huge flowers predicting a good yield of the fleshy and juicy fruit during this year.
DAE sources said as lucrative fruit item litchi cultivation is getting popular in the region, as hundreds of people achieved self-reliance through it in recent years in the region. Presently the farmers have been caring and taking necessary steps to make litchi cultivation successful everywhere.
Around 85 percent of the litchi trees in the orchards and homesteads have already bloomed in the region. The farmers of greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts have been cultivating the Madraji and Bombay varieties of litchis on 70 per cent of land and varieties like Bedena, China-2, China-3 in rest of the areas.
Shahin Mia (45), a litchi grower at Chowdhurypara village under Taraganj upazila in Rangpur district told The Financial Express that he has been earning handsome profit through its cultivation during last few years. He has 100 litchi trees in his orchard. He has cultivated China-2, China-3 variety of litchi. More than 90 per cent litchi trees in his orchard have already bloomed. Last year he earned around Tk 150,000 by selling his produce. This year he is hopeful about achieving a good profit as well, if the weather remains congenial, he added.
According to DAE, Rangpur official sources the farmer should contact the agriculture officer at the field level for any kind of advices they need. Encouraged by satisfactory profit a good number of people have set up litchi orchards for commercial cultivation in different districts under the division including Rangpur, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts, he added.
Horticulture specialist of DAE Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said flowering of litchi trees started at the end of January and will continue till mid-March when the winter atmosphere will be ended completely. He advised the farmers to spray adequate Sulpher on litchi trees to combat pest attack at the time of fruit formation stage after budding to attain good yield.
Meanwhile, BSS adds: With advent of the spring after winter, the mango trees come into blossom in abundance amid favorable climatic condition in all eight northern districts under Rangpur division.
"The mango trees are taking eye-catching looks with massive sprouting predicting a brighter prospect for bumper production of the fruit this season," said Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) here Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam on Wednesday.
He said the process of sprouting of buds in the mango trees started little late this season following comparatively longer winter as the climatic condition remained suitable so far for the process.
"Around 75 per cent of the mango trees have already bloomed predicting around 90 per cent sprouting by the first week of March due to favourable climatic condition this season," he said.
Islam added there are about five million fruit- giving mango trees on 38,000 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rangpur division and the number continues increasing every year following expansion of commercial basis mango cultivation.
Rangpur Regional Farm Broadcasting Officer of Agriculture Information Service Agriculturist Md Abu Sayem said the farmers have started taking extensive preparation, care and measure so that mango could grow in huge quantity.
"Cultivation of mango is expanding every year in the northern region as the farmers are showing more interests on commercial basis farming of the popular fruit after getting repeated bumper production with lucrative price in recent years," Sayem added.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said popular mango varieties like 'Gopalbhog', 'Haribhanga', 'Lengra', 'Fazlee', 'Nakfazlee', 'Khirsapati', 'Mohanbhog', 'Chyatapori', 'Lakhna' and 'Amrapali' are grown largely.
Predicting excellent sprouting this season amid prevailing favourable climatic condition, he suggested the farmers to contact with field level agriculture officers and control the attacks by hoppers and other pests on mango flowers for better mango production.
Regional Additional Director of DAE Shah Alam laid emphasis on evolving newer high yielding varieties and adopting latest technologies to further increase mango production.
"If the climatic condition, fluctuation in temperatures, rainfall, attack by pests and insects remained within tolerable limits during the next few months, bumper mango yield will come into true this season," Alam expressed the hope.