Demand for foreign fruit has fallen during the peak season for local fruit, but prices have not. Imported fruits such as apples, pomegranates (anar), oranges and malta still cannot be found for under Tk 250 in retail markets.

The cheapest foreign fruit on the market is now malta, selling at Tk 250 to Tk 280 a kg. In retail markets, oranges sell for Tk 320 to Tk 350 a kg, apples for Tk 300 to Tk 340 and pears for Tk 280 to Tk 300.

This was the picture on Friday (28 June) at several fruit markets in the capital, including the Paltan area. The price of some imported fruits has risen by Tk 20 to Tk 30 a kg since this Eid. Wholesale fruit traders blame duties assessed at higher values and the dollar crisis for the rise.

Imported pomegranates (dalim) and red grapes are also on the list of price rises. Pomegranates sell at Tk 500 to Tk 600 a kg and red grapes at Tk 600 to Tk 660 a kg.

Fruit trader Didarul Alam in Paltan said it is not the season for foreign fruit now, so imports are low. On top of that, because of the dollar rate, the foreign fruit market has been high since last Ramadan. There is plenty of local fruit on the market and buyers are now drawn to it, so no one is bothered about foreign fruit prices, he said.

Private-sector employee Ehsanul Kabir, who had come to buy fruit there, said: "There are mangoes and jackfruit on the market. I'm not buying foreign fruit now. Once these are over, we'll see what those (foreign fruits) cost."

Supply of local fruit is very good. The shops carry a wide range, including mangoes, jackfruit, pineapples, bananas, guavas and jamrul.

Fruit sellers said it is the very peak of the local fruit season, which is why demand for foreign fruit has fallen, but prices have not fallen to match. In earlier years foreign fruit sold very cheaply at this time; this year is an exception.

This year, however, the market has an abundance of locally grown dragon fruit, and it is cheap, selling at Tk 200 to Tk 220 a kg with ample supply.

Market information shows foreign fruit prices were abnormal during the last Ramadan. After that, the prices of foreign fruit such as apples, oranges and malta gradually kept rising. Since Eid-ul-Azha (Qurbani), foreign fruit prices have risen by Tk 20 to Tk 100 a kg, and they have not come down yet.

Sheikh Abdul Karim, general secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan Fruit Importers-Exporters and Aratdar Traders Multipurpose Co-operative Society, said the dollar is expensive and duties and taxes have not been reduced in the meantime. Importers are still facing some complications. All in all, imports are low and prices high, he said.

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