Mango growers are not getting the prices they hoped for this season at the Beltala mango market in Jashore's Sharsha upazila, the largest wholesale mango market in the south-west. Orchard owners and growers are facing losses.

Various varieties began arriving at mango markets across the upazila at the start of the season, but with fewer wholesale buyers than expected, prices are much lower than last year.

Visits to Beltala and other mango markets in the upazila found farmers arriving from dawn with Gobindabhog, Himsagar, Langra and, on a smaller scale, Amrapali mangoes. At the start, Gobindabhog was selling at Tk 1,400 to 1,800, Himsagar at Tk 1,200 to 1,800, Langra at Tk 1,200 to 1,500 and Amrapali at Tk 1,300 to 1,500 a maund, far lower than last year. Here a maund of mangoes is sold as 44 to 45 kg. With relatively few buyers and wholesalers this year, many are selling for less than they expected. Growers in the area are worried whether they will even recover production costs if prices stay like this.

Local grower Joynal Sardar said the favourable weather this year brought a good harvest. "But with few wholesalers and buyers at the market, mangoes are not valued, so we have to sell cheap. If the current prices continue, forget profit; recovering costs will be hard."

Growers Razzak and Ahmed Ali of Sharsha's Kayba union said the rising cost of fertiliser, pesticide and labour has pushed production costs up sharply, while market prices are very low, leaving orchard owners and growers facing losses. In other years there are usually more wholesalers at the start of the season, they said, but this time there are fewer, so sales are also low.

People involved in farming believe consumers are buying fewer mangoes because immature fruit was marketed early in the season. Demand is expected to rise across the country in the month of Jaishtha and after Eid, and the market could improve. Farmers and mango traders believe the current situation will not last.

Several mango traders said that if prices stay like this, growers will cut down their trees and lose interest in growing mangoes in this area.

According to the upazila agriculture office, mangoes are grown commercially on 1,060 hectares in Sharsha upazila alone, by 4,668 growers. Himsagar covers 337 hectares, Amrapali 215, Mallika 35, Langra 155, Gobindabhog 60, Gopalbhog 155, Mumbai 59, Katimon 9, BARI-4 20, BARI-11 one hectare and local varieties 34 hectares.

Mangoes are grown most in Jashore's Sharsha, Jhikargachha and Chaugachha upazilas. Mangoes from Kalaroa upazila of neighbouring Satkhira district are also sold at this market.

Sharsha upazila agriculture officer Dipak Kumar Saha claimed that he inspected the mango market before Eid, when mangoes were selling at Tk 1,600 to 3,600 a maund. But the real picture at the market is different: mangoes are selling at Tk 1,200 to 1,800 a maund. Growers say mismanagement by the authorities concerned has left them facing losses.

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