Pran starts mango collection

Pran, one of the biggest agro-based companies of the country, started mango collection and pulping activities on May 19.

The company targets purchasing 60,000 tonnes of mangoes this season, Pran said in a statement yesterday. Hazrat Ali, deputy general manager of Pran Agro Ltd's factory in Natore, shared the information with journalists at a programme at the factory's auditorium in Natore on Thursday.

Pran will purchase the fruit in large quantity from its contract farmers especially in Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Dinajpur and Satkhira, he said.

Pran collects mangoes from its 15,000 contractual farmers, who get necessary assistance from the company, said Md Kamruzzaman, senior manager of the contract farming department at Pran Agro Business Ltd.

The mangoes have to face some quality control measures before making their way into the factory, Ali said.

“We check whether the mangoes are ripe or rotten. The good ones are then sent to the laboratory for necessary tests, including formalin and PH.”

“We also check the weight of the collected mangoes. After the laboratory tests, they are sent to the factory for processing,” Ali said.

After its collection, the company preserves pulp through aseptic technology, he said.

“The advantage of this technology is that it helps preserve the pulps for a year without freezing. The taste and freshness of the pulps also remain unchanged.”

Pran Group produces various kinds of mango drinks, mango bar and other food items, including jelly. It makes pickles from green mangoes.

At present, Pran exports its products to 134 countries in the world, he said.

Pran Agro Ltd's Natore factory currently employs 7,000 people, and every mango collection season creates employment opportunities for around 3,000 people, 90 percent of whom are women, Ali said.

Shujan Mahmud, head of media; Zeaul Haque, assistant general manager for public relations at Pran-RFL Group, and Abdul Kader Sarker, senior manager for admin at Pran Agro Ltd's factory, were also present at the programme.