Seasonal fruit now fills the markets of Khagrachhari. Orchard owners and traders set out their fruit almost as soon as morning breaks, and locals and tourists are pleased to find fresh, chemical-free fruit straight from the orchards. At the start of the month of Jaishtha, juicy, sweet lychees have taken over the seasonal fruit market. Lychees are on sale not only in markets but also on hill roads, where farmers set out baskets of fruit.

Lychees are on sale in the Guimara, Panchhari and Matiranga markets. From the morning they are brought in by motorcycle, Mahindra and CNG auto-rickshaw, and they are sold in the blink of an eye. From 8am until evening the fruit shops are busy with buyers and sellers. After meeting local demand, the fruit is also sent outside the district.

Lychees are in greatest demand this season, and China Two and China Three are more sought after than local varieties. Although yields are higher, prices are lower than last year because the fruit is smaller. Local lychees are selling at Tk 70 to Tk 100 per 100, and China Two at Tk 120-150 per 100. Orchard owners say China Three may take another 15 days to reach the market.

Nayan and Sumon, traders at Matiranga market, said fresh, chemical-free hill lychees are prized by locals and by tourists visiting the hills. Hill lychees are also in great demand in the plains districts, so after local needs are met they go to Feni, Noakhali and Cumilla. With a bumper crop this year, orchard owners and traders stand to profit, they said.

Monita Chakma, a lychee seller from Riang Chhara in Panchhari, and Jagadish Tripura of Moratila said they were getting good prices even for local lychees, though the fruit is much smaller because there has been no rain. Buyers are also happy with the prices, they said.

Panchhari upazila agriculture officer Md Nazmul Islam Majumder said lychee yields are good this year and the fruit has come to market because of the heatwave. The sweet China Three lychees may take a few more days to reach the market, he said.

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