Bangladesh orange growers are enjoying higher prices for their produce as the ongoing US dollar crunch has reduced the availability of imported alternatives. One orange and Malta farmer in Haribhanga said he is now selling the fruits for about Tk 100 per kg, while they were priced at Tk 70-80 previously.
The forex crunch has led to restrictions on opening letters of credit for non-essential items while also pushing up import costs through devaluation of the local currency.
A fruit importer based at the Burimari land port in Patgram county said they were importing 60 percent less fruit compared to last year. This is because importers are not able to order shipments as per their demand amid shortages of the dollar. So, the prices of imported fruit have risen in local markets amid lower supply.
Oranges and Malta have been cultivated across Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Nilphamari for the past 5-6 years, with local varieties only differing in size compared to imported ones. Across those five districts, there are 108 orange and Malta orchards on about 160 has of land, according to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangpur.
[ TK100 = €0.84 ]
Source: thedailystar.net