DHAKA, July 7, 2018 (BSS) – Experts have laid emphasis on setting up mango-based industries to ensure fair prices of this summer fruit in view of the massive expansion taking place in its cultivation in the recent years.
Three northwestern districts — Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi and Natore — are the main the mango producing zone of the country, they said, adding alongside these three districts, mango cultivation has sharply expanded in other districts, including Satkhira in the southwest.
Md Rafiqul Islam, value chain specialist of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), said mango production has increased in the country significantly as the growers are more interested to cultivate this fruit because of its huge commercial prospects.
He said, “The harvesting period of mango in the country is very short… Growers do not get fair prices due to the little demand of the domestic market as well as its small export volume.”
In Bangladesh, mango production will increase gradually in near future, Rafiqul said, adding this is high time to focus on the highly potential mango sector to maximize its benefit.
“At first, we have to focus on the domestic market… The government should create a favorable atmosphere so that the private sector comes forward to set up mango-based industry as there are a lot of scopes of food diversification from mango such juice, pickle and other items,” Rafiqul added.
As the country lacks industrialization as well as scientific food processing system, middlemen are benefiting more than the farmers, he said, adding, “We have to focus on increasing the export volume of mango to foreign countries, especially the European market. For this, the country needs to fulfill conditions including ensuring safety and package standard for getting access to the European market.”
In 2015, Bangladesh exported mangoes to the United Kingdom’s supermarkets creating a huge commercial prospect for growers to get higher prices of their best quality produce.
The mango export to the UK opened door of earning foreign currencies and also helped the government in starting product diversification, according an official of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
This year, as many as 180 farmers under nine upazilas in three districts of Satkhira, Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi were registered to supply mangoes, he said, adding, “Mangoes were exported through ensuring adequate safety and package standard.”
Director General of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Mohammad Mohsin said, “Some 21,43,433 tonnes of mango was produced on 1,74,208 hectare of land this year in the country. This is the highest mango production in the past couple of years.”
“We are educating farmers on modern techniques of mango production alongside providing technological know-how…. Now farmers are planting high-yielding varieties of mango developed by our agro scientists,” he said, adding mango production is increasing almost every year as a result of adopting these initiatives.
Mohsin said farmers in Rajshahi, Natore and Chapainawabganj are benefiting from mango farming as they are getting good yield every year because of applying modern mango cultivation methods.
Mohsin said mango production is increased in the country gradually because of its huge commercial prospects.