KALADAN NEWS

Date: April 21, 2005

Seasonal fruits from Arakan highly demanded in Bangladesh

Teknaf, April 21: Seasonal fruits from Arakan State, Burma are highly demanded in Bangladesh and daily entering in huge quantity under border trade through Teknaf, said Shahid Ullah Choudhury, a trader from Teknaf.

Everyday, traders carry several boats with baskets of mangoes into the border towns of Teknaf and Ukhiya, under Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh through river and land routes. The southern district of Cox’s Bazar now becomes the main center of the sale of mangoes from Arakan, he further said.

The mangoes are highly demanded by consumers, as they are cheaper than those of India mangoes and advanced arrival before local mangoes appear in markets. Mangoes in Arakan State are bought in numbers and sell it in Bangladesh by weighing kilogram, while price of a mango in Arakan is estimated with Bangladeshi currency Taka 2 to 3. One kilogram weight consists of 4 to 5 pieces of mangoes which is selling in Bangladesh over 50 Taka. So, a group of smugglers take advantage of the situation, although at the expense of health risks, since harmful chemical are spraying on mangoes to early ripen and to preserve for long period, said doctors from Teknaf.

At least one month may possibly need to ripen mangoes in Arakan and Burma-Bangladesh bordering areas as general season that vary in every year. Actually mangoes of Arakan State were very tasty but this time no more tasty that may be because of chemical used to ripen it, said Abdul Aziz, an elderly man from Ukhiya.

Despite complaints by the local Bangladeshis against the artificial ripe mangoes or pesticide mangoes from Arakan, Burma, the BDR- Bangladesh border security force, customs and police have paid little attention to the matter, he further said.

Seasonal fruits like mangoes, pickles, jackfruits, watermelon, etc. are coming from Arakan into Bangladesh through out the year.

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