Gourinathpur bazar in Maheshpur upazila of Jhenaidah was only a marginal market five years ago. Built on the dragon fruit trade, it has now become something like the capital of dragon fruit. More than a hundred wholesale depots (arats) have sprung up, supplying the fruit to different parts of the country. On average, Tk 1 crore to Tk 1.5 crore of dragon fruit is traded there every day, and the depots have created jobs for several thousand people.

Cultivation of the foreign fruit has spread widely across the district, and demand is growing around the country. Every day from morning to evening farmers bring their fruit to Gourinathpur. Bright red dragon fruit is piled up under the depot sheds, and the market rings all day with bargaining.

Local farmer Shariful Islam told Jagonews24: "I have grown dragon fruit on five bighas. I can pick the fruit and sell it easily at this market, which has cut transport costs and the risk of fruit spoiling. I bring it in battery-run vans, on bicycles or in sacks."

Zakir Hossain, an accountant at one depot, said: "This market has created jobs for many people. I work at the depot alongside my studies and earn Tk 15,000 to 18,000 a month. Separate workers weigh and pack the fruit, and each earns Tk 12,000 to 15,000 a month on average."

Abdus Samad, a wholesale fruit trader from Natore, said: "Many people like me come to buy fruit here. The business environment and security are satisfactory. Dragon fruit is available in other places, but the quality at Gourinathpur is good and prices are within reach. I come every week, buy fruit and go back to Natore by train."

Wholesaler and retailer Sayeed Sarkar told Jagonews24: "Traders from other districts can do business here easily. Tk 1 crore to Tk 1.5 crore of dragon fruit is bought and sold here on an average day. The fruit goes to Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and other big cities. Prices vary with the size and quality of the fruit."

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