Cyclone Amphan: Per sack mango at Tk20!

Cyclone Amphan has wreaked havoc for mango farmers of Sapahar Upazila of Naogaon. They were passing days amid extreme anxiety due to coronavirus pandemic and this time, cyclone Amphan has increased their havoc further.
The massive gales that swept the district late on Thursday night uprooted mango trees. It also damaged crops severely in the Upazila. About 3 to 4 per cent of mangoes have fallen from the mango tree.

Mango farmers have been collecting mangoes from their gardens since Thursday morning and selling them at the mango market, but they have to sell mangoes at only Tk 20 to Tk30 per sack.

The largest mango market was established in Sapahar Upazila of the district. Like every year, this time the mango storekeepers are making all the preparations. The repair work of the warehouse is almost finished. After Eid, mango traders from different parts of the country or districts would come to buy mangoes. There was talk of buying and selling mangoes in a few days. The mango farmers of the Upazila were severely affected by the sudden onslaught of Amphan. If mangoes were bought and sold after Eid, the farmers would able to sell different varieties of mangoes at Tk1000 to Tk2000 per sack.

Bablur Rahman, a mango farmer in the Upazila, said he was worried about whether he would be able to sell mangoes because of the global epidemic of coronavirus. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the storm has struck. A few days ago, the storm also caused severe damage to mangoes. After recovering that, Cyclone Amphan hit the area again. A lot of mangoes have fallen to the ground in every garden due to Amphan.

Sapahar Upazila Plant Protection Officer Ataur Rahman Selim said mango has been cultivated in 8,250 hectares of land in Sapahar Upazila. This time mangoes yield is poor in the gardens and this storm added the damage further. About 3 to 4 per cent of mangoes have fallen from the orchards, causing huge losses to the farmers.