Market flooded with seasonal juicy local fruits ahead of Jyeshtha

The "Honey Month" of Jyeshtha is around the corner, and it is coming with an array of seasonal delicacies. Ripe mangoes, jackfruit, litchi and other summer fruits have filled the air with their sweet aroma. Shelves at shops, stalls are now flooded with juicy fruits.

Local fruit varieties like mango, blackberry, jackfruit, litchi, pineapple, daua, latkon, beet fruit, gab, talshans, jamrul, atafal, kau, sharifa and other fruits are available during the month of Jyaeshtha. These are all local fruits. 

These fruits are sold from different districts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, through seasonal traders, including stallholders.

 In recent years, online fruit sales have also become popular.

 There are also mobile vendors in vans.

With only a week left before Jyaeshtha arrives, the small and big markets of the capital are filled with juicy fruits. 

Sellers have set up stalls of various fruits, including mango, jackfruit, litchi, palm kernel, pineapple, and jamrul. 

Even though the season is over, bell, melon, and watermelon are also available in fruit shops and stalls.

Such a picture was seen after visiting various areas of the capital, including Karwan Bazar, Khilgaon, Shantinagar, Rampura, Banasree, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, and Pallabi.

Among the summer fruits, mango and litchi are currently at the top of the demand of buyers in the market. Especially, litchi has started coming to the market every week.

 That is, it does not last long. However, the price of litchi is relatively high at the moment.

 It has been seen that it is being sold from Tk400 to Tk1400, depending on the variety of litchi.

 Traders said that the price of litchi from different districts, including Rajshahi and Dinajpur, will come down within the next week.

However, the price at which farmers sell it to retailers varies, according to buyers.

In the market, mangoes called Bahari from Satkhira, Jessore, and Rajshahi are being sold for 1Tk00 to Tk150. Black jam is being sold for Tk400 to Tk600 per kilogram. Each palm is being sold for Tk30-40, pineapple is being sold for TK30-60.

 Small traders are selling these seasonal fruits in vans in almost every neighbourhood and footpaths of the city.

 A visit to the market showed that Himsagar mango is being sold for Tk100 to Tk150 per kilogram, Gobindabhog for Tk120, Gopalbhog for Tk120, and Guti mango for Tk1,000. In addition, different types of mangoes are being sold.

Jam, jackfruit, and other local fruits are comparatively more expensive. However, the prices will be tolerable and affordable for ordinary buyers within a week, said the shopkeepers.

The supply of ripe jackfruit is low in the market at this time. Fruit traders hope that the market will be flooded with jackfruit within a few days. Jackfruit is being sold for cooking as a vegetable.

 It is becoming popular day by day. Cooking jackfruit with mixed vegetables, including sweet pumpkin, beetroot, and potatoes, is now very popular.

Abu Taher, a fruit seller in the Khilgaon Railgate area, said that mangoes are coming from different districts, including Satkhira.

 The price of mangoes is comparatively low. All types of mangoes are selling well.

Bachchu Mia, a fruit trader in the Rampura area, said that the litchis that are now coming to the market are a bit small in size. Larger litchis will come from next week, and the price will also come down a bit.

 A large portion of ripe jackfruit comes from Gazipur and Savar. He said that the supply of ripe jackfruit in the market will increase in two weeks.

Traders said that during the month of Jaishthya, the demand for foreign fruits is low due to mangoes, litchis and other local fruits. Fruit trader Mofizul Islam in Banasree area said that during Jaishthya and Ashadha, people will eat mangoes, jackfruit and local fruits. However, many are buying malta, apples and pineapples for the ill people.

After visiting different markets, mixed reactions were seen among buyers about the prices of various local fruits.

Buyers say that at the beginning of the season, the price of mangoes is above Tk100. It decreases slightly during the peak season, while it increases again towards the end.

Many buyers said that low-income people cannot buy and eat foreign fruits all year round due to their high prices. They wait for the arrival of Jaishthya. They wait to buy and eat local fruits within their means.

Rickshaw puller Nurul Islam in Mohammadpur said they cannot afford to buy and eat foreign fruits. Mangoes and jackfruit are a blessing for them.

Another buyer, Palash Mia, said that although the prices of mangoes and litchis are tolerable, the prices of other local fruits are a bit higher.

A visit to the market showed that local black jam is priced at Tk400 to Tk600 per kg. The price is comparatively high. The sellers said that the commercial cultivation of these fruits also needs to be increased.

Despite various limitations in terms of capacity, people from all walks of life enjoy local fruits during the month of Jaishthya. This has become a tradition in our country.