Growers showing affected mangoes by brick kilns' fume at Lalpur in Natore. -Naimur Rahman
Fume and heat generated from brick kiln damaged huge amount of mangoes by `Black Tip' disease at most of the mango orchard at Lalpur upazila in Natore.
Brick kilns grown on cropland and settlement areas have now turned into thorns of various fruit growers, including mango and litchi. Mango farmers have been doing various activities like human chain, complaints in various departments preventing the construction of illegal brick kilns and new brick kilns to protect the main source of income but there are no remedies.
Already the Upazila Agriculture Department sent the affected Mango to Chapainawabganj Regional Horticulture Research Center of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Chief Scientific Officer (Acting) Dr Hameem Reza's signatured report came to the Department of Agricu-lture.
In the report, this disease is called `black tip'. In that report, the brick kilns black smoke was blamed for the disease. If the mangoes are affected by the disease, then there are small black spots in the lower part of the fruits first. Later, within a few days, black spots grew up and wasted in rotting.
Solaiman Hossain, leader of Mango farmers of Bishambharpur village said there are mango gardens in several hundred acres of land in the areas of Mominpur, Mahrakya Vishnupara, Dahshpara, Amritpara, Rahimpur, Habitpur, Kristomampur, Saipara, Akbarpur and surrounding areas.
There are 26 brick kilns in the adjoining area and in the settlement area around these mango gardens, there are two more brick kilns in the process of starting. Due to smoke and heat emitted from the brick kiln, the mangoes of my seven acres of land were wasted in black mugs. Emam Hossen, a farmer of Mahrakya village, said that all the mango of his five acres of land was damaged due to blackout disease.
Ahmed Ali, mango farmer of Amritpara said that there is a need for brick kilns in the area but it should be obeyed by all the norms, but due to non-government rules, these brick kilns, such as polluting the environment, are the main income source of this region.
Agriculture Officer Habibul Islam Khan said, the disease has been tested, considering the loss of the farmers, necessary steps are being taken and the work of evaluating the amount of the Mango farmers and the total loss of losses is going on.
-Naimur Rahman, Natore
Latest News