CHUADANGA — The commercial mango harvest began here Wednesday, with district administrator Lutfun Nahar inaugurating the season at an orchard in the town’s Mahila College area at noon.
The harvest of Anti, Guti and Bombai varieties began on May 13. This season, mangoes are being grown on 2,203 hectares of land across Chuadanga district. The district has set a production target of 30,842 metric tonnes.
Following the Anti, Guti, Bombai, Khirsapat and Gopalbhog varieties starting May 13 (30 Boishakh), the Himsagar harvest will begin May 20 (6 Jaistha), Langra on May 25 (11 Jaistha), Amrapali (BARI Aam-3) on June 5 (22 Jaistha), Fazli from June 15 (1 Ashar), Haribhanga on June 20, Banana on June 22 (6 Ashar), Ashwina (BARI Aam-4) on June 30 (16 Ashar), Cartimon on July 5 (21 Ashar) and Gourmati (BARI Aam-12) varieties will follow.
Nahar and Masudur Rahman Sarkar, deputy director of the Chuadanga office of the Department of Agricultural Extension, jointly said unripe mangoes cannot be picked under any circumstances for commercial purposes, and no chemicals can be used to ripen or preserve the fruit. Anyone who ripens or stockpiles mangoes through illegal means will face action under the Consumer Rights Protection Act 2009 and the Safe Food Act 2013, they said.
“No one will be allowed to harvest unripe mangoes outside the schedule released for the district,” Sarkar said. “Legal action will be taken against anyone who violates this.”
Nahar said orchard owners and traders must be vigilant about following the prescribed harvest dates. “Violators will face fines and legal action,” she said. “Strict steps will also be taken if any chemical or formalin is found mixed into mangoes. District administration mobile courts will conduct regular market monitoring.”
Also present were Mithu Chandra Adhikari, additional deputy director (plant protection); Krishna Roy, additional deputy director (crops); Chuadanga Press Club president Nazmul Haq Swapan and general secretary Mah Alam Sony; Abdullah Al Shamim, assistant commissioner; Shahidul Islam, field and market inspector with the district agricultural marketing office; and Abdul Quddus Mohaldar, president of the Chuadanga district mango traders’ association, along with vice president Abdul Karim and other mango traders.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report