Increasing supply leads to lower mango prices

Published: June 21, 2018 21:04:44

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Our Correspondent
RAJSHAHI, June 21: An abundant supply of mango in the markets and its low price is frustrating mango growers and mango traders of the district.
It is learnt, mango is regarded as main commercial fruit of the district.
But, this year trading in mango has not yet been geared up and the price of mango turned the lowest in last one decade.
A maund of quality mango is being sold at Tk 500 (Tk 11.50 per kg) only in various markets of the district.
The wholesale mango selling is weighs in 45 kg per maund instead of 40 kg for other commodities.
Such a low price of mango is frustrating the mango producers and mango farmers as well as mango traders.
Many mango farmers are learnt not to pluck their mangoes from the trees because of such a low market price.
According to sources, this year the mango started to be plucked from the trees from May 20 but due to comparatively cold weather, quality mangoes like Gopal Bhog, Khirsapat and Luxmanbhog did not ripen in due time.
Also Langra mango was supposed to intrude the market after June 06 but plucking of that variety of mango was also delayed.
According to the agriculturists in Rajshahi, the mangoes which were supposed to pluck from May 20 to June 10 could not be plucked because a low day temperature did not make those mangoes ripened.
Then the average day temperature was below 30 degree Celsius.
But, from June 10, the day temperature started to rise suddenly and for the next weeks it fluctuated between 35 and 40 degree Celsius.
As a result, all sort of mangoes started to ripen with the sudden rise of day temperature.
Moreover, due to observance of fasting in the month of Ramadan, the selling of mango remained dull.
Meanwhile, due to Eid vacation, mango growers could not hire labourers for plucking mangoes and most of transports and courier services also remained closed during this period, no mango could be sent outside the district.
As mango is a highly perishable commodity, hundreds of tonnes of mangoes destroyed at the orchards of the district during this vacation period.
Nazmul Hossain, a mango farmer of village Boronail under Porsha upazila said the low price of mango even failed to return the labour and transport cost, as a result, he did not pluck mango from the trees.
He further said, during last year the price of mango was Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,800 per maund.
During the first week of June this year, the quality mangoes were being sold at Tk 1,600 to Tk 2,000 but for last one week the price has fallen beyond imagination.
In Baneswar Haat, the largest mango market of the country, quality mangoes were seen to sell at Tk 700 to Tk 800 per maund.
Himsagar, Langra, Mohanbhog, Rani Pasand and Khirsapat were seen to sell at Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,300 per maund.
Deb Dulal Dhali, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Rajshahi, said due to sudden hot day temperature, mangoes of all varieties have started to ripen at the same time which drags the mango farmers in an awkward position.
They were not ready to pluck all varieties of mango at a short span of time.
But, it was the freak of nature that they were not being forced to pluck those at a short span of time.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the production of mangoes is being increased in the country for last several years.
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