PRAN, the country's largest agro-processing company, has begun collecting mangoes from Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and other districts famous for the fruit and pulping them. The company collects and pulps the mangoes to make mango drinks, juice, mango bars and other foods all year round.

The mango collection and pulping was recently inaugurated at PRAN Agro Limited's factories at the Barind Industrial Park in Godagari, Rajshahi, and at Ekdala in Natore. PRAN has set a target of collecting 60,000 tonnes of mangoes this year.

Sarwar Hossain, general manager of the Barind Industrial Park (BIP) in Godagari, said: "Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Naogaon, Dinajpur and nearby areas are famous for mangoes. Pulping of guti mangoes collected from these districts has begun and will continue until mid-July. After that, pulp will be collected from Ashwina mangoes. Collection at the factory will run until August, subject to supply."

PRAN-RFL Group marketing director Kamruzzaman Kamal said: "Despite the shortage of mangoes last year, we collected about 35,000 tonnes from farmers. We give raw material the highest priority so that consumers can have fruit drinks and juice made from top-quality pulp. That is why we set up our factories in Rajshahi and Natore, around the regions famous for mangoes."

He added: "The mangoes are pulped by state-of-the-art machines in a fully aseptic process without hand contact. Pulp stored aseptically stays usable for up to two years, and mango juice, drinks and mango bars are made from it all year. PRAN Frooto, made from these mangoes, has won consumers' trust as the country's top mango fruit drink brand and is exported to 145 countries."

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