Rajshahi mango prices fell after Eid-ul-Azha, leaving growers fearing losses

Rajshahi's mango growers began the 2026 season hopeful at the sight of heavily laden trees. After Eid-ul-Azha at the end of May, that hope turned to disappointment. Jagonews24 reported on 8 June 2026 that mangoes were piling up at the district's markets but buyers were few and prices well below expectations, leaving many farmers fearing losses in a season of good yields.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rajshahi had 19,062 hectares under mango that season, with a production target of about 244,000 tonnes worth around Tk 800 crore. In February The Daily Star had reported that nearly 72 percent of the district's mango trees had flowered, and that Rajshahi had produced 249,953 tonnes the previous season.

Baneshwar in Puthia upazila is Rajshahi's largest mango market. After Eid, vans, auto-rickshaws, pickups and trucks brought mangoes in from dawn, but many growers were dismayed by the prices the aratdars (commission agents) offered. Rahman Ali, a grower in Puthia, said he had spent the whole year on fertiliser, pesticide and irrigation, and at the going prices it was hard even to recover his costs.

Aminul Islam of Bhubannagar village has about 20 bighas of orchards. He said a labourer who once cost Tk 500-600 a day now cost Tk 800 to Tk 1,000. Abdul Hannan in Charghat said many farmers had borrowed from banks or NGOs to look after their orchards. Raju Mia of Pali village in Durgapur told Jagonews: "Selling mangoes now does not mean profit, it means cutting losses."

In Bangladesh a maund is 40 kg. Jagonews reported that Gopalbhog, which fetched more than Tk 2,000 a maund early in the season, was selling for Tk 1,400 to Tk 1,600 after Eid. Guti mangoes fell from Tk 1,000-1,400 to Tk 700-1,000. Lakshmanbhog sold for Tk 600-900, and Ranipasand was also below expectations. Khirsapat did comparatively better at Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,900 a maund; it became Bangladesh's third geographical indication (GI) product in 2019.

Traders said that at the same time the year before Gopalbhog had sold for more than Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200 a maund and Lakshmanbhog had not fallen below Tk 1,500. Iman Ali, a trader at Baneshwar, said wholesale buyers had competed for Gopalbhog the previous year, but this time there were plenty of mangoes and few buyers.

Farmers and traders said people were busy buying sacrificial animals before Eid and with meat for several days after it, so demand for fruit dropped. Transport ran on a limited scale over the holiday and courier services were not fully working, which held up shipments to Dhaka and other big markets. The Dhaka Tribune had pointed to the same causes on 4 June. Miraj Afridi, a Rajshahi University student who sells mangoes online, said uncertain deliveries made many regular customers delay their orders.

Under the district administration's schedule, Langra and Banana Mango could be harvested from 10 June, Amrapali and Fazli from 15 June, BARI Aam-4 from 5 July, Ashwina from 10 July and Gourmoti from 15 July. Traders hoped these varieties would bring fresh demand.

Growers said that more government support for storage, processing and exports would stop such slumps even in years of high output. Prof Dr Md Farid Uddin Khan of Rajshahi University's economics department told Jagonews: "To keep the mango market stable, increasing production alone will not do; opportunities for storage, processing and export must also be expanded." Farm economists said industries making juice, pulp, dried mango and pickles could help farmers get better prices.

Mohammad Nasir Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Rajshahi, said production had been good and supply was high, so some pressure on prices was natural. He did not see a long-term crisis and expected the market to stabilise as the season progressed and supply across the country returned to normal.

Photo: Mostafizur Rahman Sawon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources: Jagonews24, Dhaka Tribune, The Daily Star, Wikipedia