Markets in the district famous for high quality tasty varieties of mangoes now see abundance of the popular summer fruit, especially gopalbhog and a few varieties of guti, as harvest started yesterday.

The major mango markets in district provide direct employment to hundreds of workers every season. However, the mango market was virtually wearing a deserted look as of yesterday due to a poor number of customers.

On May 4, the district administration of Chapainawabganj at a meeting with the officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Regional Horticulture Research Station (RHRS), chairmen of different upazila parishads, Chapainawabganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bholahat Mango Foundation, Kansat Mango Depots Association and mango traders imposed a ban on harvest of mangoes until May 25.

The decision was made to prevent artificial ripening of the fruits before their full maturity.

During a visit to a mango market at Puraton Bazar in the town yesterday, this correspondent saw abundant supply of mangoes, but there was no crowd of buyers that can be seen at normal times.

Many prospective customers did not learn about the start of harvesting in absence of necessary publicity, say traders, many of whom went to the market in the early morning to sell their products.

Asheaful Haque, a mango trader of Masjidpara in town, said mangoes, especially gopalbhog, were available at the market, but presence of customers was very thin.

Another trader Sukumar Saha of Mistripara in the town came to the market with 32 maund of gopalbhog but could not sell those due to absence of adequate number of buyers.

Most traders say prospect buyers were unaware of the start of sale. They add they were selling gopalbhog at Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,200 per maund at Puraton Bazar market.

Monjurul Huda, deputy director of DAE, Chapainawabganj, said harvest started yesterday, but different dates had been fixed for different varieties of mangoes depending on the ripening nature of different varieties.

He added there are more than 19 lakh mango trees on 26,150 hectares of land in the district that produced 2.4 lakh tonnes of mangoes last year.

Official sources say the area of the mango orchards as well as the number of trees has increased in the district. Last year the number of trees was 19 lakh on 24,470 hectares of land, they add.