The three-day National Fruit Fair at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in Farmgate, Dhaka, closes today. On the final day, Saturday 21 June, hundreds of fruits were on display and buyers and visitors crowded in.
As in recent years, the fair has about 80 stalls selling a hundred kinds of fruit including mango, jamun, lychee and jackfruit, although mangoes held "undisputed dominance" this year.
Alongside local mango varieties such as Langra, Amrapali, Nag Fazli, BARI-4, Haribhanga and Suryapuri, the fair had Thai Katimon, Pokri, Honeydew, Banana, Miyazaki, Apple Mango, King of Chakapat and many others.
Sales better than before
Organisers and sellers said sales were better than in other years. Ahsan Habib Rabbi of the Solemanpur Krishipanya Sangraha Bipanan Kendra said there were plenty of buyers this time; it seemed to him the most visitors in several years, and sales were good.
Mango exporter Razia Sultana, owner of Global Trade Link, said all kinds of exportable mangoes were on show at their stall and the response was good.
Mujibar Rahman Nannu of Krishi Kendra, who brought several tonnes of mangoes, said he was selling Tk 1 lakh to Tk 1.5 lakh worth of mangoes a day, far more than before.
Because the fair has been held for several years running, many buyers wait for it. Buyer Sumu Zaman said: "We come from Dhanmondi to this fair every year to buy fruit. Here we're assured of chemical-free, good-quality fruit at low prices."
Government stalls
Several government institutions have fruit exhibition stalls. The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) stall displays 100 species of fruit, including 25 mango varieties and seven jackfruit varieties, and visitors can learn about fruit-growing technologies. Chief scientific officer Dr Muhammad Moshiur Rahman said the response was very good this time and people's interest in fruit was growing, with many asking about varieties and how to grow them.
Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury opened the three-day fair on 19 June, and it closes on the afternoon of Saturday 21 June. It is open to the public daily from 10am to 8pm. Twenty-six government and 49 private organisations are taking part. Fairs are being held in 431 upazilas of all 64 districts, including the capital.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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