Trading has picked up in Dinajpur, known as the kingdom of lychees. Madrazi, Bedana, Bombai and China-3 lychees have reached the market, with 100 lychees selling for between Tk 250 and Tk 800.

But because people left the cities for their villages for Eid and goods vehicles stopped running, the fruit is selling far more cheaply than last time. At the same time last year, lychees sold for a minimum of Tk 400 and a maximum of Tk 1,000.

Farmers say they are getting good prices. Wholesale traders say prices are much lower than in other years, and buyers too say prices are so far much lower than last year. But with goods transport and courier bookings resuming from today, wholesale buyers have begun arriving from Dhaka, Chattogram and other parts of the country, so lychee prices look set to rise within a day or two.

According to the agriculture department, the district has 5,418 lychee orchards on 5,490 hectares. Of this, Bombai lychee is grown on 3,170 hectares, Madrazi on 1,166 hectares, China-3 on 802 hectares, Bedana on 295.5 hectares, Kathali on 56 hectares and Muzaffarpuri on 1 hectare. There are also about seven lakh lychee trees in homestead yards and gardens. This year's production target has been set at 31,790 tonnes.

Last year 30,000 tonnes were produced, with a market value of about Tk 750 crore. The yield is somewhat lower this year.

The district's biggest lychee market is New Market, near Kotwali police station in the town. It is crowded with buyers and sellers from dawn until 10pm every day.

On the morning of Monday, 1 June, buyers and sellers were calling out on one side while bargaining went on on the other. Madrazi, Bedana and Bombai lychees dominated the market, while small quantities of Bedana and China-3 were seen in the retail market. With not enough room in the market, farmers and orchard owners stood waiting with lychees on vans and easy-bikes.

According to buyers and sellers, a thousand Madrazi lychees sell wholesale for Tk 1,800-2,000, Bedana for Tk 3,500 to 6,000, China-3 for Tk 7,000-8,000 and Bombai for Tk 2,200-2,500.

Md Rana, proprietor of lychee trader Dorodi Fol Bhandar, said the rain and sun had made the size and colour of the lychees much better. Madrazi is selling at Tk 1,800-2,000 a thousand, China-3 at Tk 7,000-8,000 and Bombai at Tk 2,200-2,500, he said.

Md Mamun, proprietor of Mamun Fol Bhandar and a wholesaler, said they were suffering badly because space in the market was cramped, and asked the municipality to help.

Trader Aminul Islam said prices were low because of the huge supply of lychees. He had bought Bombai lychees from the orchard at Tk 2,400 a thousand and sold them here at Tk 2,200, a loss of Tk 200. Prices had been good the day before, he said.

Mizanur Rahman, who came from Kamdebpur in Biral upazila, said he had been waiting at New Market with Madrazi lychees for nearly two hours. "God knows when I'll reach the wholesaler and sell," he said.

Sajib Hasan, from Ghughudanga in Sadar upazila, said he had been standing in a queue on the road for about three hours to sell his lychees. It was hard to say how much longer it would take, and he also doubted whether he would get a good price.

Mushfiqur Rahman had come to New Market to buy lychees. A resident of Dinajpur town who lives in Dhaka for work, he was taking lychees with him on the 2pm vehicle to Dhaka. He bought Bedana lychees at Tk 500 and China-3 at Tk 800 per hundred, and said he was happy with the low prices.

Md Afzal Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, said the lychee yield was somewhat lower this year, but the size and colour were good. "The market has only just started. We hope farmers will get good prices," he said.

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