Packing of the season's first consignment of Rajshahi mangoes for Italy has been completed. The mangoes were to be sent to Dhaka on Wednesday evening (3 May) and then flown from Dhaka to Italy on Thursday.

Shafiullah Sultan, agriculture officer of Bagha upazila in Rajshahi, confirmed the information.

He said that this year's first exports are going to Italy from Bagha. They are a local chosha (sucking) mango variety and are bound for the Italian market. The first consignment is 300 kg and is being sent through Adab International of Dhaka.

Shafiqul Islam Chhana, owner of mango producer Sadia Enterprise, said: "The mangoes go to Dhaka today and to Italy from Dhaka tomorrow. This is a local mango of the gooti type, and this is the first time it is being exported. The variety ripens early and tastes very good. Demand for it is higher locally, but we are trying to export it."

"I am selling it for export at Tk 100 a kg. This mango would fetch a higher price in Rajshahi's local market, but we want it to be exported, so we are exporting it even at a lower price. The whole 300 kg is going from my place," he said.

Majdar Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi district, said mangoes have been grown on 19,578 hectares in the district and the trees are expected to produce 2.58 lakh metric tonnes, with a market worth around Tk 1,500 crore. This year exports are starting from the outset: gooti mangoes from Bagha are going to Italy on the very first day of picking.

"These are local gooti chosha mangoes. They are very good for export and taste delicious. We hope to export more in future," he said.

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