ATrading of mango through online has gained a peak everywhere in the region benefitting both the sellers and buyers despite the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic reports BSS.
Business on online platforms has gained popularity to reach the mangoes towards doorsteps of the buyers amid the pandemic situation. Many of the young entrepreneurs in the region have started selling mango through online after the best uses of facebook and WhatsApp like various social media.
With this, employment scopes for many people have been generated on one hand and the mango growers are getting fair prices on the other hand. Apart from this, the consumers are getting formalin-free and fresh mango according to their demands timely.
Hundreds of young entrepreneurs are involved in the online mango business in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabgonj districts at present.
After getting online orders, they are plucking mango from the orchards—- packaging on the spot and finally sending those to the clients through courier services.
Sudhendra Nath Roy, additional director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, said there are more than 2.60 lakh mango growers and orchard owners in the region and around 1.30 lakh people are engaged in various activities related to mango harvesting, segregating, packaging, transporting and marketing.
He added that the DAE has set a target of harvesting around ten lakh tonnes of mangoes from 80,360 hectares of land in the region this season while last year’s production was 8,31,940 tonnes from 72,909 hectares of land.
Rashedul Islam, a former student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism in Rajshahi University, has already sold around six tonnes of mangoes in different parts of the country through his Facebook page ‘Mango Shop’.
He has a target of selling around 150 tonnes of mangoes this season. He has 12 people at the field level and 30 people for collecting and packaging mangoes in different areas.
Farmers have started getting a fair price for the fruits to some extent with introduction of online mango supply.
Siam Rezwan, former news presenter of a private television channel, has stated the online mango business in Rajshahi this season and has already sold over 50 mounds of mango to various destinations including the capital Dhaka.
“I’m getting massive responses from my facebook friends and followers in this regard,” Rezwan said, adding he’s purchasing mango from various orchards directly and after packaging sending those through courier services.
He said the packaging system has been furthermore improved after receiving complaints at the beginning that the mangoes sent through courier were damaged.
Rezwan mentioned that services of the entire couriers must be transparent and accountable so that delivery of mangoes is accurate.
Manu Mohan Bappa, a student of the Department of Fine Arts in Rajshahi University, has been operating the online mango business successfully from his village home at Rahanpur in Chapainawabganj over the last couple of years.
Through his Facebook page ‘Rainbow Mango Station’, he has already sold 40 maunds of Gopalbhog and Khirsapat mangos to different parts of the country this season.
Bappa said they have mango orchards on around 100 bighas of land. In addition to this, they have bought orchards with 600 trees of Khirsapat and Langra mangoes.
He said there are about 30 online mangos selling Facebook pages only in Rahanpur. Mangoes are also being sold through displaying live on Facebook, Messenger, Imo and WhatsApp.
Abu Sayem, a mango farmer of Sagaril village in Chapainawabganj, said they have about 100 mango trees and have sold mangoes to online traders from the garden. Prices are good. The cost of transporting mangoes to the market is also saved.
Dr Shikha of Bogura said she bought mangoes through facebook page ‘Rainbow Mango Station’ and got fresh ones.
Imtiaz Hossain, a resident in Chattogram, has bought 45 kilogrammes of Khirsapat mangoes online in two phases.
