Lockdown in Chapainawabganj: mango traders counting losses

Mango traders in Chapainawabganj are counting losses due to the ongoing seven-day lockdown -- just a day after trading of Gopalbhog mangoes started in the market. 

Mango traders and farmers said that due to the lockdown there are no buyers in the market and wholesalers are not able to come from other districts.

Gopalbhog mangoes have started ripening and it is not possible to keep them longer on trees. If this situation stays, they will face huge financial loss, they added.

However, the agriculture department said that there is no restriction in mango trading. Traders may transport mangoes out of the district, maintaining health guidelines, the department officials said.

Johnny Ali, a mango trader, said that he brought around 200 kg of Gopalbhog mangoes to trade in the market at 5am today but was unable to sell a single kg due to absence of buyers.

Another trader Mohammad Shaju said that he has leased a garden with 300 mango trees in Betbaria village of Sadar upazila, spending Tk four lakh. He said that Gopalbhog mangoes have started ripening and unlike other mangoes, it is not possible to keep them on the trees for long.

He was unable to sell any mangoes today either, reported our local correspondent.

According to the traders, Gopalbhog mangoes are being sold at a price of Tk 1,400 to 1,500 per 40kg (1 maund).

Muhammad Nazrul Islam, deputy director, Department of Agriculture Extension in Chapainawabganj, said that the economy of the district is dependent on mangoes. There are mango gardens on a total land area of ​​34,738 hectares in the district.

The production target has been set at two and a half lakh metric tons this year -- same as the previous year.