UNB, Dhaka :
With the advent of holy Ramzan, the demand for dates usually goes up sharply, but this time the scenario is expected to be a bit different as the market will be flooded with local summer fruits.
According to traders in the city, the supply of dates, one of the must-sought one for Iftar, will be between 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes against the usual demand for 40,000 tonnes. The demand for other imported fruits may also see a fall due to the availability of local fruits in the market during Ramzan as it is the season of mango, litchi, jackfruit, guava, pineapple and others. As a result, the traders said, people will be less interested to buy imported fruits.
Faruk Hossain, a whole-seller of fruits at Sadarghat, told UNB that green mangoes have already started hitting the market, among which sweet and sour mangoes are also available. In the middle of the May, ripe mangoes will start coming in as well as other seasonal fruits. Meanwhile, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), an autonomous state trading organisation,
has initially procured 100 tonnes of dates which it will sell throughout the Ramzan. “But, the stock may be increased if requires to tackle any possible crisis,” said an official wishing anonymity.
Dates are usually imported from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan. Different countries of Africa also commercially produce dates from where Bangladesh also import those. According to Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers Association (BFFIA), the date market is totally dependent on import as it does not have much demand throughout the year rather than the month of Ramadan.
With the advent of holy Ramzan, the demand for dates usually goes up sharply, but this time the scenario is expected to be a bit different as the market will be flooded with local summer fruits.
According to traders in the city, the supply of dates, one of the must-sought one for Iftar, will be between 30,000 to 35,000 tonnes against the usual demand for 40,000 tonnes. The demand for other imported fruits may also see a fall due to the availability of local fruits in the market during Ramzan as it is the season of mango, litchi, jackfruit, guava, pineapple and others. As a result, the traders said, people will be less interested to buy imported fruits.
Faruk Hossain, a whole-seller of fruits at Sadarghat, told UNB that green mangoes have already started hitting the market, among which sweet and sour mangoes are also available. In the middle of the May, ripe mangoes will start coming in as well as other seasonal fruits. Meanwhile, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), an autonomous state trading organisation,
has initially procured 100 tonnes of dates which it will sell throughout the Ramzan. “But, the stock may be increased if requires to tackle any possible crisis,” said an official wishing anonymity.
Dates are usually imported from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan. Different countries of Africa also commercially produce dates from where Bangladesh also import those. According to Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers Association (BFFIA), the date market is totally dependent on import as it does not have much demand throughout the year rather than the month of Ramadan.
