Eid vacation raises concern for mango farmers

The ongoing holiday centring Eid-ul-Azha has raised concerns among mango farmers that prices for the fruit may decline further in coming days despite the high production cost.

This is because there is a lack of transportation and low demand from consumers amid the religious festival for Muslims in the country, they said.

And although mango farmers are beaming for the overall increase in production, they are not making good profit due to oversupply.

Besides, they are having to harvest mango before they are naturally ripe because of unfriendly weather conditions.

In this situation, farmers and analysts fear that the ongoing Eid vacation may disrupt the supply chain as the lack of storage facilities means that the fruit may go to waste amid lower demand.

"The ongoing harvesting process has been disrupted due to the Eid rush as we cannot even send mango through courier services as they are not taking orders for now," said Abdus Salam Sarker, who cultivated the fruit on more than 14 acres of land in Rangpur.

He also said that demand could fall as people have little time to enjoy mangoes while passing busy times on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.

Although trucks and covered vans will be available for shipping perishable products, courier services and home deliveries will remain suspended during the vacation, according to the authorities concerned.

"Our transportation services will remain closed for three days from Wednesday," said Hafizur Rahman Pulok, vice chairman of the Sundarban Courier Service.

However, he added that they would conduct regular activities, such as ensuring existing deliveries and taking new bookings, during this time.

Echoing the same, Md Sohag Ali, manager of SA Paribahan Courier Service in Dinajpur, said their parcel service will remain open during the Eid holiday, but without any home delivery.

"The smooth service will be disrupted during the holidays for various reasons, including shortage of transportation and manpower," he said.

But the situation will be normal a couple of days after the festival, he added.

Ismail Khan Shamim, a farmer from Chapainawabganj, said he used to sell mango for about Tk 50-55 per kilogramme (kg) with an additional charge of Tk 25 for purchases made through online platforms that are delivered using courier services.

And even though the cost of such services increased, he would still turn a profit by selling online.

"But due to the suspension of these services, I might have to sell it in local markets for just Tk 30-35 per kg," he added.

Haribhanga mangoes are available in markets across Rangpur from the third week of June each year.

But this time, due to the severe heatwave, the mango came to the market 10 days ahead of schedule on June 10, according to farmers.

Mehdi Hasan, a mango grower in the Padaganj area of Rangpur, said overall yields were better this year.

"Still, I had to start harvesting mango earlier than usual because of adverse weather. Depending on the size of the mango, I sell them for Tk 25 to Tk 50 per kg," he added.

Dr Md Sorof Uddin, a renowned mango researcher of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, said mango production has increased this year in terms of acreage.

"Now is the peak season for the Fazli, Amrapali and Haribhanga mango varieties," he added.

Uddin also said that due to the vacation, farmers will not be able to do marketing and so, prices will fall in the next eight to nine days.

"If mango consumption or export processing does not increase in line with production, then farmers won't get proper prices," Uddin added.

A total of 24.68 lakh tonnes of mango were produced in fiscal 2021-22 while production has been estimated to be more than 25 lakh tonnes this year, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.

There are more than 2,000 Haribhanga mango orchards across the five districts of Rangpur, with each being about two to 15 acres in size.

Hossain Ahmed Majumder, joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Truck Covered Van Owners Association, said they have suspended their regular activities for five days to transport other goods.

But perishable products will not come under the purview, he added.

Md Mahbubul Alam Babul, former president of the Karwan Bazar Wholesale Fruit Traders Association, said transportation costs have risen as most trucks and vans are being used to move sacrificial cattle for Eid-ul-Azha.

As such, the hiring rates have been increased to around Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 per truck.

"This may increase the price of mango in the capital," he added.