Nizam Uddin Lavlu, Khagrachhari :
Mangoes of various varieties and colors are swaying in bunches in the gardens built on the hills of Khagrachhari. Farmers here have cultivated various varieties of foreign mangoes including American Palmer, Red Ivory, Red Emperor or Chakapat, Banana Mango, Cartimon, Kiuzai, Red Lady, Apple Mango, Miyazaki or Suryadim, Australian Kensington Pride, Honeydew, and Artwitu. These mangoes have become quite popular due to their attractive colors and delicious taste.
On the other hand, farmers are flocking to foreign mango cultivation due to the high yield in suitable soil and climate and the market price being several times higher than that of conventional local mangoes. About 50,000 small and big entrepreneurs have joined fruit cultivation in the three hill districts.
Even two decades ago, mangoes were not cultivated commercially in the hills. Since 2004, commercial fruit orchards have been established. The number of orchards has been increasing gradually.
In 2003-2004, under the initiative of the then Chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board and BNP MP from Khagrachhari, Wadud Bhuiyan, foreign mango seedlings of Amrapali were distributed free of cost in three hill districts. The residents planted these mango seedlings in uncultivated hilly areas and started getting fruits after two years.
The yield is also very high. This foreign mango variety gained wide popularity in a short time due to its delicious and sweet taste. As a result, Amrapali cultivation spread throughout the hills. Later, Amrapali was joined by Rangui mango from Myanmar.
In the last 4-5 years, various foreign mango varieties, including the world-famous Miyazaki from Japan, have taken root in the hilly lands. One of the successful foreign mango farmers in the hilly lands of Khagrachhari is Mangshitu Chowdhury of Sadar Upazila. Mangshitu Chowdhury, owner of Mango Green Life Agrofarm in Bhuachhari area of Sadar Upazila, left his government job in 2014 and started mango farming.
About 54 varieties of mangoes are being cultivated in his garden of about 30 acres, including American Palmer, Red Ivory, Red Emperor or Chakapat, Banana Mango, Cartimon, Kiuzai, Red Lady, Apple Mango, Miyazaki or Suryadim, Australian Kensington Pride, Honeydew, and Artwitu. He said that these mangoes are sold at several times more than the conventional local mangoes.
He hopes to sell mangoes worth Tk 50 lakh this season. Rubel, another successful mango farmer from Ramgarh, said that the collection and sale of mangoes from the garden has already started. He is selling Miyazaki mangoes at 250 taka per kg, Red Ivory at 200 taka, Red Emperor or Chakapat at 250 taka, Australian Artitwo at 150 taka, Banana at 150 taka, 4 kg mango at 150 taka and Honeydew at 150 taka. Besides, Amrapali is being sold at 60 taka per kg.
Deputy Director of Khagrachhari Agricultural Extension Department Md. Bashirul Alam said that mangoes have been cultivated on 4,421 hectares of land in Khagrachari district this time. Mangoes have been cultivated on about 300 hectares more than last year. The production target this year is 54,179 metric tons. Most of the mangoes cultivated here are foreign varieties.
Dr. Zulfikar Ali Firoz, Chief Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Retd.), who has been in charge of the hilly areas for a long time, said that there has been a revolution in the production of various fruits including mangoes in the hills. Now it is the demand of the hour to declare three hill districts as fruit zones. He said, government management is essential in fruit cultivation, marketing and transportation. If a fruit research institute is established, the cultivation of new fruits will increase here.
