Uncommon native fruits return to spotlight at national fair

Once considered on the verge of extinction, many uncommon native fruits are making a comeback thanks to the efforts of agricultural scientists and various initiatives.

These fruits—once abundant in villages and towns—are now being grown commercially, drawing renewed interest from consumers and cultivators alike.

At the ongoing National Fruit Fair at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh in Dhaka, visitors are getting a chance to explore these rare fruits alongside a wide range of familiar local and foreign varieties.

The three-day fair, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, began on yesterday (19 June) and will conclude this evening.

On the second day of the fair today (20 June), crowds gathered at stalls set up by both private entrepreneurs and government institutions, including the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

BADC's stall, located near the entrance, showcased nearly 50 rare fruits once thought to be disappearing.

These included Bengal currant, monkey jack, velvet apple, sugar apple, bilimbi, cowa, cluster fig, gooseberry, elephant apple, sour mangosteen, wild orange, batoko plum and more.

In addition, popular fruits like mangoes, bananas, litchis, avocados, lemons, and java apples were also displayed.

"Bangladesh is a land of six seasons, each bringing its own range of fruits. But over time, many local varieties started vanishing. Thanks to research and expansion efforts, we are trying to bring them back. These fruits are now being cultivated in our agro service centres," said Dr Bashir Ahmed, deputy director of BADC.

In the centre of the fairgrounds, the DAE stall attracted attention with its display of nearly 60 varieties of mangoes, including Biswanath Chatterjee, Gourmati, Kalopahar, Mallika, Kuwapahari, Badshabhog, Great Bombay, and Ranipasand.

The stall also featured around 100 local fruit varieties, including the rarely seen cane fruit.

Agricultural officials said there are about 130 uncommon fruits found in the country, of which around 70 are still growing naturally or cultivated in small quantities.

In 2020, the DAE launched a three-year programme costing around Tk2.5 crore to support the production and expansion of these fruits. Since then, several rare fruits have gradually reappeared in local markets.

Officials noted that these fruits are well-suited to Bangladesh's climate, have low disease risk, and require minimal maintenance. With further innovation in high-yielding varieties, they believe more farmers will be motivated to cultivate them.

Md Abdullah Al Mahmud, additional deputy director of the DAE, said, "Our exhibition features a wide range of both conventional and unconventional fruits. Most of these are grown in our horticulture centres, and the public response has been very encouraging."

This year's fair has drawn participation from 26 government and 49 private organisations.

Stalls are highlighting new technologies in fruit cultivation, high-yield varieties, and chemical-free production methods.

In addition to the exhibition, seasonal fruits such as mangoes, jackfruit, litchis, bananas, and jam are being sold at the fair.

Several mango varieties, including Himsagar, Haribhanga, Nak Fazli, Aam Rupali, and Bari-4, are available at Tk60–100 per kg, while Banana mangoes are priced at Tk120–140 per kg.

Bedana litchis are selling at Tk1,200–1,400 per 100 pieces, China-3 litchis at Tk1,000–1,200, dragon fruit at Tk130–200 per kg, and jam at Tk200–250 per kg.

However, traders said they were facing losses due to lower mango prices and low turnout caused by recent rainfall.

Kamrul Islam, a seller from Rajshahi, said, "It cost around Tk20 per kg for transport and labour. If I had sold directly from the orchard, I would have made more profit."

Md Tariq Hasan, another vendor from Godagari, brought 40 maunds of mangoes and had sold only 10–12 maunds by Friday afternoon.

"I was hoping for better prices here. Now, it looks like I will incur a loss," he said.