Demand for green coconuts (dab) has risen as people seek to quench their thirst during the ongoing heatwave. With fewer buyers in the capital's markets over the Eid-ul-Azha holiday, coconut prices have fallen slightly. Prices of the seasonal fruits mango and litchi remain within reach, and there is ample supply.

This was the picture in Dhaka's Mirpur-11 and Pallabi on Tuesday (10 June). Three kinds of mango were on sale: Amrapali, Langra and Himsagar, selling for Tk 80 to 120 depending on size.

Aminur, who sells green coconuts at the fruit market next to Pallabi metro station, said demand had risen in the heat and he was selling 50 to 60 more coconuts than before. Small coconuts were selling for Tk 100 to 120 and large ones for Tk 140 to 150.

He said he brought coconuts from Noakhali and Lakshmipur, and sometimes from Karwan Bazar and Mirpur-1. Prices are a little lower now, but could rise when people who went home return to Dhaka, he said.

Asadur, a Pallabi resident, said at the stall that he had become exhausted walking in the intense heat, so he drank a green coconut to beat the tiredness and thirst.

Many people staying in Dhaka over the long Eid holiday were buying mangoes and litchis to take when visiting relatives. Some were also buying mangoes, jam (black plum) and jackfruit for home.

Fruit trader Hamidul at Mirpur-11 kacha bazar said Amrapali was selling most, with large Amrapali at Tk 120 a kg, though Langra and Himsagar were in higher demand. He was selling litchis at Tk 480 a hundred, up from Tk 450 to 460 the previous week. "The season is nearing its end, so the price is a bit higher," he said.

He said litchi prices had risen by Tk 20 to 30 per hundred in some places. Jackfruit was selling for Tk 150 to 300 each depending on size, and mango prices had not risen.

Next to him, another seller, Asiful, was selling litchis at Tk 600. "These are original Bombai litchis. Last week I sold them for Tk 550 to 560. The season is ending, so the price has gone up a little," he said. Jam was selling for Tk 100 to 150 a kg and pineapples for Tk 30 to 50 each depending on size.

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