Carrying the burden of losses, the Mango Special Train will run again from 10 June. Over the past four years the train has spent more than twice what it earned; statistics put the loss at nearly Tk 2 crore.

According to sources, the train earned Tk 46,39,140 over the four years against spending of Tk 1 crore 47 lakh 22 thousand, a loss of Tk 1 crore 82 thousand 860. Yet the courier services of the Rajshahi region earned at least a crore of taka from carrying mangoes in a single year.

Railway sources said that, as every year, the Mango Special Train will run to Dhaka with mangoes via Rohanpur, Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi, starting on 10 June. Its purpose is to carry mangoes and farm produce more cheaply than road transport, benefiting growers, traders and the railway itself. But the results tell a different story.

In 2020 the train ran for 47 days and carried 11,99,059 kg of mangoes, earning Tk 13,37,536 against spending of Tk 56,40,000. In 2021 it ran for 49 days and carried 22,99,920 kg, earning Tk 26,30,928 against spending of Tk 58,80,000. In 2022 it carried 1,78,778 kg, earning Tk 2,12,174 against spending of Tk 12.40 lakh.

In 2023 it carried 12,07,000 kg, earning Tk 4,48,502 against spending of Tk 19,62,000. That means over four years the train earned Tk 46,39,140 and spent Tk 1 crore 47 lakh 22 thousand, and at the end of the day the railway's loss was Tk 1 crore 82 thousand 860.

Shafiqul Islam of Bagha, a mango grower and owner of the exporter Sadia Enterprise, said sending mangoes in the train's air-conditioned luggage vans would be good, as they keep well. But there is no way to send mangoes directly from Rajshahi to Sylhet and Chattogram, which is why couriers suit them better than the train.

Rafiqul Islam, a mango grower in Nachol, told Jago News: "When mangoes are booked with a courier, the customer can find out where they are. The train has no such facility. If the train introduced an SMS system, growers would be keen to send mangoes by train."

Sirajul Islam, a mango grower and trader in Chapainawabganj, said: "From the orchard, mangoes can be taken straight by truck anywhere in Dhaka. But to send them by train we have to bring them to the station, and from there take them to the wholesale depot, so transport costs more. At various stations mangoes are left carelessly in the sun and rain. If every station had proper arrangements for keeping mangoes, interest in sending them by train could grow."

Masudur Rahman Rinku, president of the Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said carrying mangoes on a special train was undoubtedly a good initiative, but traders did not benefit much because it does not offer door-to-door service. The postal department has many vehicles and a digital system. If it held an inter-departmental meeting and delivered the mangoes door to door after they were carried by train, the service would become profitable and traders would take an interest.

Railway Director General Sardar Sahadat Ali said various plans like those of courier services were being made to improve the service. "We are doing these gradually. We have AC vans and luggage vans, and we will use them on every train. We are trying to provide a door-to-door service, at least in partnership with some company," he said.

Railway Minister Md Zillul Hakim said any new undertaking can have flaws; the main goal is to overcome them and move forward. He said the Mango Special Train was a landmark initiative of the prime minister, and efforts would be made to solve quickly the problems raised about sending mangoes by train. "We will sit with the courier companies and see whether some agreement can be reached with them," he said.

Meanwhile, while the train counts losses on carrying mangoes, courier firms profit every year.

Altaf Hossain, deputy general manager of Sundarban Courier Service in the Rajshahi region, said there were at least Tk 120 crore worth of transportable mangoes in the Rajshahi region this year, to be sent by various means. But the railway cannot compete with them because it is not digital, and there is a risk of one person's mangoes going to someone else. "We give a door-to-door service, which is why demand for us is higher," he said. He hopes to carry at least Tk 3.5 crore worth of mangoes this year.

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