Price fall worries mango growers in Thakurgaon

Despite bumper production of mango in the district, farmers and traders are apprehending huge losses as the fruit is selling at throwaway prices in the markets in comparison to previous years.

Depending on the variety, each kg of mango is now selling at Tk 15-Tk 40, while it was sold at Tk 30-Tk 70 during the last several years.    

Market sources said one kg of Surjapuri, a special variety of Thakurgaon which is not available in other parts of the country, is being sold at Tk 15-Tk 30 depending on size and quality, while each kg of Langra, Misri Bhog, Gopalbhog, Himsagor and others is being sold at Tk 25-Tk 40. The prices were higher in the last several years.    

Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said there are 1,514 mango orchards in Thakurgaon district, covering 6,546 hectares of land.

DAE officials expect production of at least 1.47 lakh tones of mango in the current season.

As the soil and climatic conditions of the district are favourable for mango cultivation, farmers are increasing cultivation every year with a hope of earning more profit.     

During a visit to mango markets on Saturday and Sunday, this correspondent saw the mango growers and traders frustrated as the prices of the summer fruit are low and the number of buyers too few.

Jalal Uddin, 48, a mango grower of Badambari village in Baliadangi upazila of the district, told this correspondent at Kalibai bazar on Sunday that he brought two maunds of medium size mango (Surjapuri variety) to sell at the bazar. He sold one maund at Tk 20 per kg, and was waiting for customers to sell the rest. "I sold one kg of mango of the same size and quality for Tk 40-Tk 50 last year," he said.

Zaherul Islam, 35, a mango grower of Jogdal village of Baliadangi upazila, said he has brought one maund of Langra mangos, but is yet to sell all of them. He is selling it at Tk 30 per kg, while it was Tk 50-Tk 70 per kg last year.  

Dulal, 55, a mango trader of Thakurgaon Road wholesale mango market, said farmers and mango traders are incurring huge losses due to low price and shortage of buyers.  

Replying to a query, Dulal said, like every year, he bought several mango orchards for Tk 6 lakh. He harvested the fruit from three orchards and got only Tk 1.3 lakh. He will hardly get Tk 3 lakh from the other four orchards. Dulal added that he made a profit of Tk 3 lakh last year from the same orchards though the production was lower than this year's.   

 Arshed Ali, deputy director of DAE, told this correspondent that bumper mango production has been achieved this season because the area did not face adverse weather during budding period, so the period passed well. After budding period, the fruit also got enough rain and proper climatic condition.