Chapainawabganj is known as the capital of mangoes, and from the start of the season to its end the district has a festive air around the fruit. Among its markets, Kansat is said to be the country's largest wholesale mango market, where at least Tk 20 crore worth of mangoes are sold every day in the season.

Even near the end of the season, the Kansat mango market is bustling, with buying and selling from dawn to afternoon. But growers say they are not getting fair prices this season.

Atikur Rahman Milon, a grower from the Kansat Abbas Bazar area, said large quantities of mangoes still arrive at the Kansat market every day and are being sold, and by morning the area around the market fills with mango vans. "This time I had Ashwina mangoes on 2 bighas, but I did not get the price. At the price mangoes are selling for, the production cost is not being covered. We cannot pay the pesticide shops," he said.

Arif Ali, a resident of Shyampur union, said he had brought Katimon mangoes to Kansat and sold them for Tk 4,000 a maund, while his cost was more than Tk 3,500 a maund. "There is no profit selling mangoes like this," he said, adding that mangoes will still be available at Kansat for two more months.

Grower Enamul Haque said producing Ashwina mangoes cost more than the price they are fetching at Kansat. "We cannot make a profit. All in all it seems we will have to cut down the mango trees and grow other crops," he said.

Ahsan Habib, member secretary of the Chapainawabganj Mango Foundation, said mango trading is still in full swing at Kansat, but prices have fallen because supply has increased, so government incentives are needed to save growers.

Dr Yasin Ali, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said growers are not getting good prices because arrivals of mangoes are high. Farmers are being advised to grow other crops rather than depend on mangoes.

At present, Ashwina mangoes are selling at Kansat for Tk 4,500-5,000 a maund, Katimon for Tk 5,000-6,000 and Gourmati for Tk 6,000-7,000 a maund.

This season Chapainawabganj has mango orchards on 37,504 hectares, with a production target of 386,000 tonnes and an estimated market value of about Tk 7,500 crore.

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