Imported malta oranges and apples remain beyond the reach of ordinary shoppers in Dhaka. In the fruit markets of Mirpur 1, 2 and 10 on Saturday, 17 October, malta sold for Tk 400 to 420 a kilo, green apples for Tk 400 to 450 and red apples for Tk 380 to 450.
Other imported fruit was also dear: oranges at Tk 450 a kilo, green grapes Tk 500-520, red grapes Tk 460-480, pears Tk 350-360 and pomegranates Tk 500-650. Local malta, by contrast, cost Tk 120 a kilo and dragon fruit Tk 200-250. Dates ranged from Tk 250 a kilo for local dates to Tk 1,600 for Medjool.
Counted per piece, the gap is clearer. Five imported malta make a kilo, so each costs Tk 70 to 84; local malta run four to six to the kilo, at Tk 20 to 30 each. A green apple works out at Tk 44-50, an orange Tk 56-64 and a pomegranate Tk 125-162.
Sellers say prices depend on size, quality and the risk of spoilage. Abdus Salam, a seller in Mirpur 10, said traders must pay for the rotten fruit in a crate as well, and make up the loss by charging more for the good fruit. Ansar Ali in Mirpur 1 said pomegranates come from India with a high duty, and that most sellers buy their fruit at Badamtoli.
Shoppers are unhappy. Mohsin Reza said that with fevers and colds going round, doctors advise fruit rich in vitamin C, but malta and oranges are hard to afford at these prices, and the government should take note.
The government's position is on record. At a meeting of the Chittagong Chamber in Chattogram on 8 October, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said it was unacceptable for malta to sell at Tk 400-500 even after duty. Work is under way, he said, to bring the effective duty on fruit down from 121 per cent, set according to the dollar market, and the National Board of Revenue has been asked in writing to cut the duty on dates.
For Bangladeshi fruit growers the figures matter: in the same markets local malta sells at about a third of the imported price, a gap that favours domestic production.
Reporting: Asad Abedin Joy, Bangla Tribune
Photo: Kritzolina / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Bangla Tribune
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