Naogaon, a district bordering the Barind, is known as the food hub of the northern region. Although the district is famous for its paddy and rice production, Naogaon district has been on the list of the best mango producing districts in the country for the last few years.
The delicious mango of Naogaon has already started coming to local markets.
However, some unscrupulous traders have been deceiving buyers by selling the mangoes produced in Naogaon in the name of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj grown ones. These sweet mangos of Naogaon are being sent to different parts of the country and even abroad.
Most of the industries that have sprung up in the district are agriculture based. Agriculture is the key to economic activity. In the last 10 years, the image of the district has changed as a result of mango cultivation along with paddy farming.
Hundreds of Bighas of mango orchards have been established commercially in Porsha, Sapahar, Niamatpur, Patnitala and Dhamairhat upazilas of the district, bordering India.
According to Naogaon District office of Agricultural Extension Department, mango has been cultivated on 25,850 hectares of land this season. Of them, Amrapali Mango on 76 decimal, BARI-4 Mango on 6 decimal, Arshina Mango on 7 decimal, Fazli Mango on 3 decimal, Langra Mango on 3 decimal, Khirshapat Mango on 2 decimal, Gauramati Mango on 1 decimal, Katimon Mango on 1 decimal and other varieties of Mamgo on 1 decimal.
Since mango cultivation is more profitable than other crops, since 2009, mango orchards have been gradually developed along with paddy. At one time the people of Naogaon used to look for mangoes from nearby Chapainawabganj but now after a few years people from home and abroad come to this area to buy mangoes grown in the Barind region of Naogaon.
Nowshad Ali, a mango farmer from Sapahar, said he had sold mangoes worth Tk 4 lakh from a two-year-old mango orchard. This time I have leased 15 Bighas of land and created a mango orchard. By the grace of God, this time the fruit is good. There are about 250 mango orchards in Naogaon. Last year, about 10,000 seasonal workers were working under these warehouses. The wheel of Naogaon's economy is turning in the Barind region.
Traders are coming from different parts of the country to buy hundreds of trucks of mangoes every day. Last season, Naogaon mango farmers sold mangoes worth around Tk 2,000 crore. This has brought prosperity to the homes of the farmers, as well as job opportunities for thousands of people throughout the season. The highest mango production in the district is 1 lakh 19 thousand 160 tons in bordering Sapahar upazila, 1 lakh 15 thousand 199 tons in Porsha and 1 lakh 11 thousand tons in Patitla. Mangoes worth Tk 2,500 crore will be sold this season.
Golam Mostafa, convener of the Sapahar Mango Warehouse Owners' Association, said the mango market in Sapahar has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Wholesalers from different districts of the country come to buy mangoes. You can buy mangoes directly from the farmer's garden by staying in the yard of your choice. No other district in Bangladesh has such a fair market system.
Samsul Wadud, Deputy Director of the district Agricultural Extension Department, said Naogaon district belongs to the Barind region. More mango orchards have been established in Porsha, Sapahar and Patnitala upazilas of the district. The amount of water in the Barind area is less and there is no irrigation facility. Therefore, due to the characteristics of the soil, mango yields a lot. Now the amount of yield is more in the mango orchards of the district than in Chapainawabganj. There are new gardens in the district and the yield is also increasing.
The district is expected to produce 320,000 metric tonnes of mangoes this year as compared to 272,000 metric tonnes last year. Deputy Commissioner Harun-ur-Rashid said the main mango of the district is Amrapali. Naogaon has been banding based on this mango. Amrapali is a hybrid variety of mango.
Mango orchards are growing in the district. At present a limited quantity of mango is being exported from Naogaon to different countries. Moreover, from 2020, BARI-3 or Amrapali is on the demand list of the famous company Walmart. The district administration and the police administration have already made all the preparations to increase the production of exportable mangoes and market them properly.