Mango trading has got a boost with increased supply in Rajshahi where people from different parts of the country are gathering to buy the fruit.
Leaseholder of Baneshwar Bazar Montu Sarkar said, “Following the permission from the authorities, the farmers started bringing mangoes in the last eight to 10 days and the demand is picking up.”
About 10 trucks of different varieties of mangoes including Gopalbhog, Khirshapati, Ranibhog are being sent to different districts from here, he said.
Forman Ali, a wholesaler at Baneshwar Bazar, said, “The Gopalbhog is being sold at Tk 1000 to Tk 1700 while the local varieties of Guti mango are being sold at Tk 600 to Tk 1500 per maund (37 kg).”
At present, everyday about 2,500 maunds of mangoes are brought to the market, but the supply will increase when good variety of mangoes hit the market after one week, Ali said.
Toyob Rahman came on official tour to Rajshahi and bought one maund of Gopalbhog to take along with him to Dhaka for his family.
A Rajshahi University student Abdus Sobur has come to Baneshar market to buy two maunds of Gopalbogh mangoes to send them to his teachers and relatives through courier services.
Baneshwar market, located in the district’s outskirts Puthiya upazila, is a business hub for mangoes.
Mosharrof Hossain, a fruit trader in city’s Shalbagan area, said he is selling Gopalbhog between Tk 2000 and Tk 2200 per maund.
He said, “We also send mangoes to the different districts of the country through courier services.”
It costs Tk 15 per kg to send through SA Paribahan while Sundarban Courier charges Tk 12 and the others charge Tk 10 per kg to take the mangoes to Dhaka, he added.
According to Rajshahi zone office of Agricultural Extension division, mango is cultivated on 26,150 hectares in the Capainawabganj districts and the expected harvest has been estimated at 2,44,000 tonnes.
At Naogaon district, the fruit is cultivated on 12,671 hectares and the estimated harvest is 1,61,242 tonnes where the estimated harvest is 56,021 tonnes of mangoes produced on 4,823 hectares.