Mango exports have been formally inaugurated. Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdus Shahid opened the export programme at the central packing house in Shyampur, Dhaka, on Monday afternoon.

The event was told that although exports were formally launched on Monday, 10 June, about 189 tonnes of Gopalbhog and Himsagar mangoes had already been exported to 15 countries since the last week of May. On Monday, 25 tonnes were being shipped in 14 consignments to England, Germany, Italy and France.

This year the agriculture ministry has set a target of exporting 3,100 tonnes of exportable Gopalbhog, Himsagar, Amrapali, Fazli, Surma Fazli and BARI-4 mangoes to about 38 countries. In 2023, 3,092 tonnes were exported to 38 countries.

Addressing exporters, the minister said the central packing house at Shyampur had been modernised and strengthened to boost mango exports, and work was under way to remove other obstacles.

He said Bangladeshi mangoes enjoyed a good reputation and demand in many countries. If they could be supplied to mainstream supermarkets in developed countries, exports would rise considerably and growers would earn more.

Mango exports hold great promise for increasing foreign earnings, he said, adding that the government was implementing various measures to earn a significant amount of foreign currency through them.

The minister also said that because the heatwave had cut production of mangoes and several other crops this year, farmers would be supplied with more fertiliser, seed, pesticide and other inputs on time to raise output.

Dhaka-4 MP Dr Md Awlad Hossain spoke as special guest. Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) director general Badal Chandra Biswas and exportable mango production project director Mohammad Arifur Rahman were among the other speakers.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.