At the start of the season, Rahim Mia, a day labourer from the Talaimari area of the city, saw litchis in the market and wanted to buy some for his family. But on hearing the price he did not dare. He earns Tk 600 a day, and with 100 litchis costing Tk 500, buying them was almost impossible for him.

If he bought litchis, he said, it would be hard to buy the household's daily necessities, so in the end he went home without them. It is not only Rahim Mia: many other low- and middle-income people are in the same position as litchi prices rise in Rajshahi's markets.

Litchi prices in Rajshahi have become sky-high right at the start of this season. Supply is short because of excessive drought, heat and lower yields, making the popular seasonal fruit hard for ordinary buyers to afford.

In the Saheb Bazar area of the city, litchis were selling at Tk 5 to 6 each, putting 100 litchis at about Tk 500 to 600, far higher than last year. Prices vary somewhat with size and quality, but overall they have moved beyond ordinary people's means.

Market insiders say litchi prices are usually somewhat higher at the start of the season, but this year the high prices may last a while longer because of the adverse weather. Prices may fall somewhat as supply increases, but much depends on the weather.

Sellers say a long spell without rain and intense heat have hit litchi production hard. On many trees the fruit did not grow normally, and the drought also caused many litchis to split before they ripened, reducing the amount of marketable fruit.

Parvez, a resident of the Shiroil area of the city, had a similar experience. "The litchis are not fully ripe yet, but the price is very high," he said. "I wanted to buy 100, but in the end I had to pay Tk 250 for 50."

Haidar Ali, who sells litchis in Saheb Bazar, said: "Because of the drought this year, many litchis have been spoiled or split, so we are getting fewer from the wholesale market. Where I used to sell about 5,000 litchis a day, now I struggle to sell 2,000. Because prices are high, many customers just ask the price and walk away."

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) say the effects of climate change are increasing uncertainty in fruit production in different parts of the country. If drought and excessive temperatures continue in litchi-growing areas such as Rajshahi, production could fall further in future, with a long-term effect on market prices.

Mohammad Nasir Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Rajshahi district, said the litchis are not yet mature and it may take another 15 to 20 days before they are marketed. Because these are the first litchis of the season, sellers are charging somewhat higher prices, but prices will come down considerably once the crop is marketed, he said.

He added that continued drought and high temperatures in Rajshahi this year had caused some damage to litchi production. Litchi cultivation in Rajshahi is increasing every year, and farmers are showing interest because it is profitable, he said.

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