The mangoes of Chapainawabganj, a delicacy of Bangladeshi summers, are now available in the middle of winter as well. Ripe mangoes hanging from trees will catch your eye in Nawdapara village, Gomostapur district.
This unique variety is soft, juicy and the trees bloom three times a year, according to farmer Sirajul Islam. Sirajul planted 220 saplings of the ‘Amropali’ variety on a small piece of land five years ago. A year later, he collected some scions of another mango variety and pruned branches by top working.
The trees yielded fruits three times in 2015, prompting Sirajul to repeat the technique. During summer, he removes the buds. He harvests only in winter.
“This year I got a bumper yield of mangoes. The fruits are in good shape and contain more fibre. The larger ones will be around 300 grams in weight,” Sirajul told this paper. In the last four years, Sirajul invested Tk 150,000 (€1,550) and harvested around 20 crates of mangoes.
This winter, he harvested on December 10 and sold them at Tk 11,000 (€115) per crate to a wholesaler in Dhaka's Mirpur. The current rate is Tk 13,500 (€140) per crate.
The winter variety, locally known as “Baromashi”, has not been officially named yet, Sirajul said, adding that he had got in touch with the local horticulture centre.
