At the start of the Bengali month of Jyoishtha, markets large and small in the capital are full of juicy fruit. Sellers have set out mangoes, jackfruit, litchis, palm fruit (talshash), pineapples, jamrul and more. Wood apple, bangi melon and watermelon are also available although their season has ended.

This was the scene on a tour of Mirpur, Pallabi and other parts of the capital on Friday (16 May).

Sellers said mangoes and litchis are currently the summer fruits in highest demand. Mangoes with fancy names from Satkhira, Jashore and Rajshahi are selling for Tk 80 to 120, and litchis for Tk 350 to 400 a hundred. Black plums (kalojam) sell for Tk 550 to 600 a kg, palm fruit for Tk 30 each and pineapples for Tk 30 to 50. Small traders are also selling these seasonal fruits from vans in almost every neighbourhood and on footpaths.

In the markets, Himsagar mangoes were selling for Tk 80 to 120 a kg, Gobindabhog for Tk 120, Gopalbhog for Tk 100 and guti mangoes for Tk 80. A hundred Jashore litchis cost Tk 380 to 400, and Rajshahi's Bombay litchis Tk 500 to 550.

Among other fruits, pomegranates sold for Tk 400 to 450, white grapes for Tk 200 to 250, black grapes for Tk 400 to 450, malta for Tk 200 to 230 and apples for Tk 280 to 350. Few ripe jackfruits were seen; buyers were buying jackfruit to cook as a vegetable.

In the morning a mobile fruit stall in Pallabi was crowded, with most buyers buying mangoes.

Fruit seller Ansari Ahmed said mangoes are coming from all over the country and prices are low. All kinds are selling well, and most are now coming from Satkhira.

Another seller, Mahfuz, said the litchis now reaching the market are somewhat small. Bigger litchis will arrive from next week, and prices will fall a little. A large share of ripe jackfruit comes from Gazipur and Savar, and supply will rise in one to two weeks.

Traders also said demand for foreign fruit is low because of mangoes and litchis. Masud Alam, a fruit seller at Rayankhola market, said people will now eat mangoes and jackfruit, and this will last at least one to two months. Many are buying malta and apples for patients, but many are buying mangoes and litchis to eat at home or take to neighbours.

Buyers said mango prices are above Tk 100 at the start of the season, fall somewhat at its peak and rise again towards the end.

Shahin Alam, a salaried worker at the Mirpur-1 market, said local fruit prices are within reach and the taste is good. Many cannot afford foreign fruit, he said, so mangoes and jackfruit are now a blessing.

Another buyer said that while mango and litchi prices are bearable, other local fruits cost somewhat more. A buyer named Rakib Hasan said local guava is now Tk 100 a kg and black plums Tk 400 a kg, and commercial cultivation of these fruits should be increased.

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