Around 333 tons of mangoes from Rajshahi are expected to be exported to four European countries this season. Abdul Awal, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), says the mangoes will be exported to Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
“We have selected four varieties – Khirshapat, Langra, Amropaly and Totamury- for export,” he added. According to Awal, the mangoes will be exported through the Bangladesh Fruits Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAPEA).
In 2019, 35.75 tons of Gopalbhog, Langra, Khirshapat, Amroplay and Himsagar mango varieties were exported to different European countries. No mangoes were exported in 2020 because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, but some 21 tons of mangoes were exported from Bagha and Charghat counties in the district through the BFVAPEA.
Mango trader Shafiqul Islam, who has been exporting mango to various countries since 2014, said there are huge demands of Rajshahi’s mango in foreign markets. He said the Rajshahi mango farmers and traders are being affected badly as they are facing multifarious problems in terms of exporting the seasonal fruit due to the pandemic.
Mango export is almost double profitable than that of selling in local markets. But additional cost and care is needed for preparing the exportable mango as it requires use of modern technologies, he said. “If we get requisite facilities in the fields of export, the volume of mango export will be boosted up to a greater extent,” he told thefinancialexpress.com.bd.