The mango collection and pulping operation of PRAN, the country's largest agro-processing company, has begun. Indonesia's ambassador to Bangladesh, Ms Listiowati, opened the operation on Wednesday (3 June) after visiting the factory at PRAN's Barind Industrial Park (BIP) in Godagari, Rajshahi.
The ambassador visited the park as part of a tour of agro-processing factories in Bangladesh. She was welcomed by Kamruzzaman Kamal, marketing director of PRAN-RFL Group, and Hazrat Ali, the factory's general manager, and was briefed on PRAN's production and its marketing at home and abroad.
Ms Listiowati then toured various production plants in the park. During the visit she opened PRAN's mango collection and pulping operation and praised the company's modern production system highly. She also spoke of the potential to expand trade relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia and to increase cooperation in agro-based industry.
60,000 tonnes from 12,000 farmers
PRAN Group collects and pulps mangoes to make mango drinks, juices, mango bars and other foods. This season the company is buying mangoes from Natore, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Dinajpur, Meherpur, Kushtia, Pabna, Sirajganj and Satkhira districts.
PRAN mainly buys Guti and Ashwina mangoes for pulp. Guti mangoes are being collected throughout June, and Ashwina mangoes will be collected from July for as long as supply lasts. The pulp is kept in aseptic bags in cold storage and used to make juice all year round.
This season PRAN has set a target of collecting 60,000 tonnes of mangoes from 12,000 contract farmers. Besides Rajshahi, PRAN Group also collects and pulps mangoes at the PRAN Agro Limited factory at Ekdala in Natore.
Kamruzzaman Kamal said: "To ensure the best-quality fruit drinks and juices for consumers, we give top priority to the quality of raw materials. That is why we have set up our collection and pulping factories in the areas famous for mango production. This lets farmers supply their mangoes easily."
According to people in the sector, the country's market for mango fruit drinks and juices is worth about Tk 1,500 crore and is growing by 10 percent a year.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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