Pran begins processing year’s mango stock

Pran has recently started collecting and pulping mangoes for this year to manufacture drinks and other food items.

The agro-processor aims procuring 60,000 tonnes of mango for processing at its plants in Natore and Barind (Varendra) Industrial Park in Rajshahi, says a statement yesterday.

The mangoes are being collected from farmers of Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Dinajpur, Meherpur and Satkhira, said Kamruzzaman Kamal, marketing director of Pran-RFL Group.

Sarowar Hossain, deputy general manager of Barind Industrial Park, “In the first phase, we have been purchasing guti mango from May 28 and it will continue till the first week of July.”

“After this, we will collect Ashwani varieties. Our Natore factory is also collecting mangoes from different parts of the country,” he said.

Pulp is being produced in the plant using aseptic technology. The advantage of this technology is that it helps to preserve the pulp for two years while retaining its taste and freshness, all without freezing it, he added.

“In our plant all related steps including washing and peeling, waste management and pulp packaging are nearly automated,” said Hossain.

“This factory is completely environment-friendly as we produce organic fertilisers and energy from the waste. The plant has a capacity to crush 400 tonnes of mango every day,” he said.

Kamal said, “We set up the factory installing latest technology so that customers can drink fresh mango juice.”

“For this reason, we have set up the factory in an area famous for mango production. Apart from this, we hope, customers will get more standard food items as we have modernised the factory,” he added.