Mangoes are plentiful in markets across the country, but growers, orchard owners and traders say they are not getting the prices they wanted. They partly blame administrative intervention, and insist no harmful chemicals were used on mangoes this year.

Last year, people doubted mangoes and could not eat them safely, and mobile courts destroyed hundreds of tonnes over formalin claims, hurting traders at every level. This year, to end that situation, picking dates were fixed in the main mango areas, and growers say this has caused heavy losses. One farmer said a tree that used to give 10 maunds will now give five because of the restriction.

Traders at Kansat in Chapainawabganj, the country's largest mango market, said the fixed dates brought all mangoes to market at once, reducing demand. A farmer said prices are not even half of last year's. Growers insist they used no formalin; one said farmers never use it and do not even know what it is.

An official at the horticulture research institute in Chapainawabganj said the decision was taken after discussion, to stop various chemicals being used. Chapainawabganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Jahangir Kabir said Langra does not ripen before 15 June, so picking earlier means picking immature fruit, which the dates are meant to prevent.

Researcher Mahbub Siddique said there should be coordination between traders and growers at government level. Orchard owners and traders say the fixed dates caused losses that will not be easy to recover.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.