The country's fruit-processing industry is going through a hard time because of reduced export incentives, rising production costs, high-interest loans and dearer raw materials, says Hashem Foods managing director Md Abul Hashem.
Formalin is never used on fruit in Bangladesh and the idea is a misconception, the project director of the DAE's exportable mango production project told a Jago News round table.
To realise the potential of Bangladesh's fruit processing industry, international standards and destination-specific compliance must be ensured, not just production, a BSTI official said.
Foreign mango varieties are catching on in the Khagrachhari hills because they fetch several times the price of local mangoes, but orchard owners say tolls on the way to market are a major burden.
CropsKhulna district produced more than 80,000 tonnes of fruit on about 25,000 hectares in 2024-25, yet by June 2026 it had no cold storage, processing or organised fruit market, and no fruit had been exported from the district.
Bogura entrepreneur Tania Akter began with just 2 kg of jujube pickle, and that small venture has grown into a brand.
More than 30 per cent of Chapainawabganj's mangoes now sell online, but sellers say the cost of Facebook advertising paid in dollars is eroding their profits and raising prices.
FAO data show China is the world's largest processor of fruit and crops, and that Asian countries dominate the global top 10.
Amrapali, the BARI Aam-3 variety, has displaced Fazli, Himsagar, Langra and Gopalbhog to lead Bangladesh's mango cultivation, exports and popularity.
Fruit output is growing in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban, but exporters say the lack of cargo flights, costly air freight and unquarantined orchards keep Chattogram's fruit exports small.
CropsIn June 2026 fruit expert Dr Md Mehedi Masud wrote that pruning, forcing new shoots and bagging now let Bangladeshi farmers grow Thai guava all year; on the figures he cited, national guava output passed 6.64 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.
CropsIn June 2026, Department of Agricultural Extension data showed about 34 kinds of foreign fruit grown in Bangladesh, a dozen of them commercially successful. Dragon fruit and malta led, and home-grown dragon fruit had been exported to Sweden.
China has become one of the centres of the global fruit trade, and analysts say its growing import market also offers Bangladesh a big opportunity.
