PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS ANALYSIS OF MANGO CULTIVATION BASED ON SOME SELECTED AREAS IN RAJSHAHI DISTRICT OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

The study was conducted among 104 mango producer to assess their, profitability in case of mango production, demographic and socio-economic condition e.g. age, education, profession number of family member ,number of income earner, amount of land, number of school going children, amount gardens area ,fertilizer dose, pesticides ,mango variety cultivated ,cost of capital, profit, , vehicle used for transportation, market size, market distance, presence of cooperative society and membership, types of marketing harvesting, grading, yield, weather, disease ,use of fellow land, training requirement, government intervention, storage facilities, export etc condition of in selected areas of four villages namely Bausha Hadati Para village under Bagha upazila, Baruipara village under Puthia upazila, Kismot Bogura village under Durgapur upazila Pannapara village under Charghat upazila Northern region of Bangladesh during January-March 2018 . The study also encompasses the comparison of cost and profit of another crop cultivated with mango cultivation. Mostly farmer depend on mango production because the climate is very conducive for mango cultivation in Rajshahi district. Barind ecosystem (Rajshahi Region) is unfavorable for field crop production but suitable for production of fruits like mango, litchi and jujube etc .Fruits are significant component of agricultural farming system in Bangladesh. The primary data collected through scheduled questionnaire from the randomly selected 105 mango growers. Problem Confrontation Index (PCI) was used to measure the problems obtained from mango production were categorized into 6 types viz. very severe, severe, moderately severe, moderate, negligible, not at all. On the basis of Problem Confrontation Index (PCI) formula, out of the 16 problems, insects and diseases infestation was identified as the major problem with PCI 429 followed by dropping of fruits and flowers with PCI 409. Scarcity of better varieties/ Seedling/ grafts, Climate change and Lack of modern technology were also three major problems with PCI 387,276 and 193 respectively faced by mango farmers in case of mango production. About 65% of farmer are educated in this region.it was estimated 95% farmers have own land. All of the respondents interviewed aged between 28-98 years .Cost and return analysis of mango production revealed that 10 mango varieties are founds as profitable with the higher working investment and human labor development. Their fertilizer use ratios were as like Urea: TSP: MoP= 1.5: 2: 1. Data represented that every cultivator had to spend 106659 taka for one hectors of land or 120 mango trees and average profit was 299010 taka but it varies from 299010 to 300000 taka on the basis of respondents from 120 mango trees or from one hector without considering land rent. Average profit from mango cultivation was higher than Average profit from onion cultivation which amounted Tk. 299010 per hectare and 260412 per hectare respectively .Out of 104 mango producer, 59 producers were engaged in both supporting crop and mango,45 farmers were with mango only. Most farmers (87%) in the study areas practiced intercropping with mango. the cost incurred by Harvesting, Sorting and Grading of mango cultivation was more than other crops. Inadequate transport facility, higher cost of transportation, Preservation problem, Lack of feeder roads, Lack of shed in the market, Post-harvest loss and Strike / Political unrest problems were identified for the farmers in mango marketing. Marketing problems for traders were Unstable price, Selling on credit, Lack of capital, Lack of market place, High transport cost, Lack of market information, Lack of processing center, Lack of processing plant etc. Although respondents certified that Rajshahi district is profitable in respect of mango production as the yield of Mango was far greater than the yield of other crops but further study should be taken place with other variables and characteristics that related to farmers in mango production in different upazilas of Rajshahi district.