VegetablesArguing that Bangladesh loses 20 to 40 percent of its fruit and vegetables after harvest, agricultural mechanisation researcher Dr Surajit Sarkar called in a Jagonews24 column on 27 June 2026 for small, low-cost cold stores in villages.
Demand for Bangladeshi mango, jackfruit and other fruit is growing abroad, but exporters say soaring air freight and weak airport infrastructure are holding the sector back.
Bangladesh grows fruit on a world scale but lacks the storage, processing and export systems to profit from it, argues a BARI postharvest scientist.
Bangladesh's fruit output has risen from about one crore tonnes to more than 1.5 crore tonnes in a decade, making it one of the world's top 10 tropical fruit producers.
Government figures report steady hilsa production, but fishermen, wholesalers and traders in Chandpur say the fish is disappearing from the rivers.
FruitsA pair of Yubari melons fetched a record 5.8 million yen at Sapporo's first auction of the 2026 season in May, the latest sign of how perfect shape, scarce supply and Japan's gift culture push some fruits to extraordinary prices.
FruitsMango, pineapple and jackfruit processors told Jagonews24 in June 2026 that they receive training but not dryers or packaging machines; Hortex and the Department of Agricultural Marketing said support exists but budgets are limited.
Bangladesh Bank has ordered banks near mango markets in greater Rajshahi to open on Saturdays, the weekly holiday, during the mango season.
A pavement market in front of Ahsan Manzil in Old Dhaka has sold slightly damaged fruit at about half the usual price for nearly 30 years.
CropsBangladesh had 64 registered geographical indication products in June 2026. The list given to parliament names 15 fruits, seven of them mangoes, and those involved say the status opens the way to origin-based branding and fairer prices.
Barishal division produced 1,943,075 tonnes of watermelon, but experts say without storage and processing technology the fruit is wasted in season and missing the rest of the year.
Afghanistan's fresh and dried fruit exports have grown markedly, led by Kandahar pomegranates and grapes, official figures for 2025 show.
FruitsDragon fruit, strawberries, rambutan and avocados, once rare and costly in Bangladesh, were grown at home, cheaper and widely sold by June 2026; DAE data put dragon fruit output at 78,749 tonnes in 2024-25.
