Mango business has gained peak with reasonable prices in different markets of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts with appearance of several varieties of the fruits despite the  corona situation.

The markets famous for mango business including Shalbagan, Rajabari, Godagari, Kansat, Baneswar, Shaheb Bazar, Haragram, Upashahar and Rohanpur have got an eye-catching look amidst bumper production.

Ragibul Hasan, lease-holder of Baneswar Bazar, said farmers and traders have started harvesting mango after getting instruction from the district administration this year. That’s why mangoes are appearing in the big market for over the last one month as Himsagar, Langra, Gopalbhog, Lakhna, Fazly and some other indigenous varieties have ripened naturally.

Kashem Ali, a wholesale trader said Langra and Himsagar mangoes are being sold at Taka 2,000 to 2,500 per mound according to quality while the native varieties are sold at Taka 1,200 to 1,500. In addition to the market, hat and other growth centres, the mango-based trade and business has changed the rural economic scenario of the region as a whole.

“We are selling 35 mounds of mangoes at Taka 2,000 to 2,500 per mound on an average every day,” said Aslam Sharif, a mango trader of Shaheb Bazar. Besides, large quantities of mangoes are being sent to other places in the country including capital Dhaka from Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj by passenger-coaches, trains, trucks and private vehicles every day.

Meanwhile, trading of mango through online has gained a peak everywhere in the region benefitting both the sellers and buyers.

Business on online platforms has gained popularity to reach the mangoes towards doorsteps of the buyers amid the pandemic situation. Many of the young entrepreneurs in the region are selling mango through online after the best uses of Facebook and Whats App like various social media.

With this, employment scopes for many people have been generated on one hand and the mango growers are getting fair prices on the other hand. Apart from this, the consumers are getting formalin-free and fresh mango according to their demands timely.

The West Zone of Bangladesh Railway has launched a special parcel train on Chapainawabgonj-Dhaka route via Rajshahi for transporting mangoes to Dhaka at a lower cost for welfare of the mango traders and farmers amid the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

The cargo train is carrying a maximum 250 tonnes of mangoes in seven wagons every day. So, farmers and traders can transport goods at their will. It costs Tk 2.00 to carry a kg of mango to Dhaka from Rajshahi. And it is Tk 1.50 from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka.

Additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said there are more than 250,000 mango growers and orchard owners in the region comprising Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts.

Around 150,000 people are engaged in various activities related to mango harvesting, segregating, packaging, transporting and marketing.

He added that the DAE has set a target of harvesting around 1.2 million tonnes of mangoes from 85,360 hectares of land in the region this season while last year’s production was 8,51,950 tonnes from 75,900 hectares of land.