Virus puts damper on haribhanga biz

Billal Ahmed, a mango grower at northern Mithapukur sub-district, scolds his own fate as he sold out all his 'haribhanga' orchards at poor prices last May.

The 36-year-old gardener traded his produce at nearly 35 per cent lower rate than last year's.

He was panicked like other 'haribhanga' growers, excepting subsistence farms, in Rangpur area at a time when coronavirus was spreading across the country.

"Actually, I got panicked as everybody was talking about the disease…," Mr Ahmed said while talking to the FE at his homestead under Moyenpur union.

He said each garden was priced at Tk 65,000 on average this year at Mithapukur, located in the middle of Rangpur, against Tk 100,000 a year earlier.

This is the worst price shock since 2013 when he started mango gardening. Initially, he had a few hundred trees that have now surged to 709.

Mr Ahmed, who once fought against poverty for lack of economic activity, has now improved his status financially by dint of farming.

But an estimated 600 gardeners have faced the same fate like Billal, according to the local administration.

"We advised farmers not to sell at lower prices but they didn't pay heed to our advice," said Mithapukur UNO Md Mamun Bhuiyan at his office recently.

Such fall in prices has implication on overall poverty in the region, he observed.

Most of the 550,000 population at the sub-district depend on agriculture, mostly subsistence farming, with some commercial farms.

Haribhanga originated from Mithapukur. More than 100 years back, one Kumar planted a 'maldia' variety near the trash of broken earthenware vessel at his homestead in Unchubalua village.

The mango plant fortunately got a unique character through a 'chance seedling' process. Chance seedling means natural hybridisation.

This is the short history of a research-based study on the tropical sweet mango variety.

The taste of haribhanga, its high yield and high commercial value lured the locals to grow the mango more through grafting.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has developed a variety of haribhanga called BARI mango-13, which is awaiting release.

Not the locals alone, those living in Dhaka also planted such mango trees in different parts of greater Rangpur.

The number of haribhanga farmers ballooned by nearly 40 per cent in the past five years to the fiscal year 2020.

The number of mango trees increased by nearly 300,000 to nearly 1.0 million in the region, according to stats prepared by the district agriculture office.

The poor prices of the mango mean the real income of the growers has dropped that may force them to borrow in the coming months to earn their living.

Nearly 10,000 mango growers in Rangpur region have been going through hardship, according to the district agriculture office.

Rangpur is one of the poor districts in Bangladesh as it lacks full diversification of economic activity.

But diversified farming has been helping cut poverty in the region where over 42-per cent poverty was recorded even a decade ago, said a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics study.

'Monga', a seasonal famine-like situation in northern districts, earlier created huge unemployment.

But things have been improving as successive governments undertook multiple development initiatives like job creation to address the situation.

Mango farming is also spurring income as many farmers have switched to the cultivation as it accrues higher income over tobacco or other horticulture.

But lower prices will worsen the financial health of mango farmers.

"To compensate the downtrend in prices, we need to borrow from NGOs or relatives," said one Mahfuzur Rahman of the same union.

Although rural gardeners incurred losses, retailers and wholesalers are making profits this time as prices are picking up in the most populous northern city of Rangpur.

The wholesale price of haribhanga at the district headquarters is now Tk 4,000 to Tk 4,500 per maund.

So many hands are involved in mango farming. Growers sell at an early stage during April and May. Then some traders buy at middle stage and some later.

The demand for the mango in other parts is comparatively low amid the pandemic.

Demand is great from makeshift traders based in Dhaka's Motijheel area, but it is almost nil this year, wholesalers told the FE in Rangpur city.

The offices at Motijheel and its contiguous areas are open now as the government has eased restrictions since May 31.

But the presence of people at the business hub still remains thin than the pre-pandemic period.

However, agriculture office said big farmers have been worst-affected in terms of returns.

In the meantime, agriculturists and business people recognised the need for further nursing of the variety to explore its optimal potential.

They accused traders of using insecticides and pesticides randomly, simply affecting public health.

They heightened a call for campaign against the rampant use of chemicals in mango orchards, indicating that this has potential for export market.

The export of mango and other vegetables relies on whether the farmers are under "contract" or not, said Md Mujibul Hoq, an agriculture expert working at Solidaridad.

Solidaridad is a Hague-based NGO that promotes good agriculture practice in Bangladesh.

Zahirul Islam is the proprietor of Islam Enterprise, a mango exporter in Dhaka. He said contract farming is a precondition for mango export.

Mr Islam said the variety is in huge demand but they cannot export in the absence of such a type of farming.

Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu, former president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said haribhanga is becoming popular in the domestic market.

This juicy exportable item may strengthen farmers' income. It can be used to prepare pickles and other things, he added.

In the absence of a mango preservation system, growers are not getting their due prices, Mr Babu, also a former vice-president at the country's apex chamber and trade body FBCCI.

Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu, president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said farmers have become losers this time due to Covid-19.

The size of mango was in some cases smaller than last year's as farmers did not take proper care during the virus lockdown, he said.

"We tried to build a preservation system with the help of Denmark experts but failed to this end, said Mr Titu who is cultivating haribhanga.

Md Abu Sayem, DAE additional deputy director (LR), Khamarbari, Dhaka, told the FE that mango cultivation is increasing every year because other crops are not very profitable like this.

Farmers are switching to mango plantation with keen interest, he said, adding that online sale and marketing got a boost in this pandemic time.

Steps are well underway to export haribhanga as other mangoes are being exported right now, he disclosed.

Mr Sayem also highlighted the lack of preservation facility and processing centre and industries which can help both farmers and traders get fair prices.

"Even we offered traders to take railway facility to transport mango outside Rangpur, but they declined to take this," he stated.

DAE is creating massive awareness to discourage the use of pesticides on mango to reduce health hazards.

Haribhanga is largely being cultivated in orchards in Podaganj, Khoragach, Ruposhi, Zarullapur, Rangatipara, Bangaon, Chaker Pather, Paikarerhat, Rukniganj, Tekani, Moyenpur, Kadamtola, Lalpukur, Shukurerhat, Tilakpara, Kashimpur and other villages in Mithapukur.

It also grows in Badarganj, Sadar, Pirganj, Taraganj, Pirgachha, Kawnia and Gangachara of Rangpur and other areas of the region.

According to the latest DAE data in Rangpur region, the market size of haribhanga is a estimated at Tk 2.0 billion (200 crore).

This year, commercial production has reached 36,971 tonnes cultivated on 2,777 hectares of land in the region, it revealed.

The production per hectare stood at 13.13 tonnes.

Sources said more than half of mango is produced in Rangpur district alone.

In FY 2019-20, total production reached nearly 46,854 tonnes on 3,270 hectares whereas it was 22,711 tonnes on 2,088 hectares in FY 2013-14, according to the DAE in Rangpur region.

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