Fruit production in Bangladesh is rising, but a huge amount of fruit goes to waste in season. To cut these losses, equal importance must be given to marketing fruit quickly, processing it and exporting it. And without a larger budget allocation for agriculture and horticulture, the fruit-processing industry cannot develop sustainably.

Agricultural economist Dr Jahangir Alam Khan said this at a roundtable titled "Fruit Processing: Problems and Prospects" at the Jago News office in Badda in the capital on the morning of Saturday, 27 June.

A large amount of fruit is produced at once during the season, he said, and because domestic demand is limited, a significant share rots before it can be sold. To reduce this loss, three things must be pursued together: raising domestic demand, processing fruit and exporting it.

Dr Jahangir said 25 to 30 per cent of fruit, and in many cases up to 40 per cent, is lost after harvest. If the government invested in or subsidised the processing industry, fruit worth thousands of crores of taka could be saved from waste.

Pointing to the need for special support for fruit growers, he said much fruit is lost even at the production stage. So, alongside general farm support, separate policy support and incentives must be ensured for fruit farmers.

Over the past 15 to 20 years the national budget has grown, he said, but farm allocations have not grown in proportion. Instead, agriculture's share of the total budget has fallen steadily. In the 2011-12 fiscal year agriculture received 10.6 per cent of the total budget; it has now fallen to about 5 per cent.

Farm subsidies have also fallen, which the economist believes is hampering the investment needed in fruit production, storage and processing.

In his view, horticulture has grown significantly over the past two decades, so the sector needs a separate budget and special policy support.

The roundtable was moderated by Jago News editor K M Ziaul Haque. Participants included Dr Md Golam Ferdous Chowdhury of BARI's Postharvest Technology Division, fruit expert Dr Md Mehedi Masud, Mohammad Arifur Rahman of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Enamul Haque of BSTI, PRAN Group managing director Eliyas Mridha, Hashem Foods managing director Md Abul Hashem, former BAPA general secretary Md Iktadul Haque, CAB vice-president S M Nazer Hossain, Kaju and Coffee Agro executive director Md Mahatab Ali, and agri-entrepreneurs Ismail Khan Shamim of Chapainawabganj and Sohel Rana of Naogaon.

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