China has expressed interest in buying 1.2 lakh (120,000) tonnes of mangoes from Chapainawabganj, known as the capital of mangoes.

Chinese importer Mr Shu Wei made the interest known on the afternoon of Saturday, 12 April, while visiting several mango orchards in the district's Shibganj upazila. He liked the well-kept orchards he saw, and later visited the mango grading, sorting and treatment centre at Academy Mor in the Shibganj municipal area.

Ahsan Habib, a mango grower in Shibganj municipality, said: "A Chinese importer visited my orchard in the afternoon. He expressed interest in buying mangoes directly from the orchard. If we can export mangoes to China directly, without intermediaries, we will benefit."

Ismail Khan Shamim, general secretary of the Shibganj Mango Producer Co-operative Society Limited, said: "The Chinese importer visited several orchards in Chapainawabganj. They want to buy mangoes from us. If we can export mangoes this way, the district's economy will get a boost."

Shibganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Nayan Mia said a Chinese importer visited several orchards in the upazila in the afternoon. They want to buy 1.2 lakh tonnes of Chapainawabganj mangoes, he said, adding: "We are hopeful."

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