How to earn big by drying mangoes once destined to rot

• Chapainawabganj farmer turns waste into opportunity
• Dehydration cuts mango spoilage, boosts profits
• Dried fruit demand rising in Bangladesh
• Export prospects grow for processed mangoes

For years, the mango orchards of Munjer Alam in Chapainawabganj yielded far more fruit than he could ever hope to sell. As much as a quarter to a third of his mangoes would rot away before reaching the market. Watching piles of fruit go to waste was both a financial blow and a personal frustration. He was in dire need of a solution.

His search for a remedy led him to fruit processing. While Bangladesh has a long-established processing sector, from fruit pulping to juice production, what Alam eventually discovered — and what changed everything — was the niche but fast-growing market for dehydrated and powdered fruit.

Unlike traditional processing, which often requires large-scale factories, dehydration technology allows small and mid-sized growers to extend shelf life and tap into high-value segments. The farmer now processes guava and jackfruit too.

"It was disheartening to see part of my harvest wasted," he said. "After learning about processing, I realised how much more value those fruits can create."

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Alam's 30-bigha orchard produces around 80 tonnes of mangoes each season. Before he adopted dehydration, 25-35 percent of the fruit was lost to post-harvest spoilage. That amount has now dropped by at least 10 percent.

Mangoes are highly perishable and spoil quickly because of their high-water content. Data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) show that there are nearly two lakh hectares of mango orchards across the country, yielding about 27 lakh tonnes annually. Over a quarter of that harvest goes to waste due to a lack of proper handling and storage.

Alam began experimenting with mango powder in 2022, then expanded into dried mango in 2024. But it was the 2025 season that finally clicked after he received technical support from a Japanese company.

Dried mango now sells for Tk 2,000-Tk 2,400 per kg, and mango powder for Tk 1,200-Tk 1,400 — far higher than fresh fruit. His profit margin stands at 15-20 percent, the entrepreneur told The Daily Star.

Last season, he sold around 700 kg of dried mango and 100 kg of mango powder. Next season, he is targeting 20,000 kg of dried mango and 5,000 kg of mango powder, alongside increased production of dried guava and jackfruit.

With steady domestic sales, Alam is now exploring export opportunities.

"I'm in discussions with buyers from England, South Korea, and Australia," he said. "Nothing is confirmed, but there's interest, especially in dried mango. I'm hopeful about landing a 10,000 kg order soon."

DRYING FRUITS: BIG OPPORTUNITY?

Alam believes that Bangladesh now stands before a multi-thousand-crore-taka business opportunity in dried mango.

His optimism is grounded in market trends. The global dried mango market is valued at $2.24 billion, while the broader processed mango-based products market stands at $25 billion (around Tk 3 trillion), according to international research firms.

Bangladesh, the seventh-largest mango producer in the world, has yet to claim a meaningful share of this segment.

Alam's entrepreneurial journey began in 2014 with an initial investment of Tk 40 lakh, alongside his job at a multinational company. Early on, he invested in the production of vegetables, guavas, mangoes, dragon fruit, rice, and mustard.

As of 2025, his business volume has grown to Tk 3 crore-Tk 3.5 crore, with investment in dried fruit processing alone standing at around Tk 1 crore.

Md Kamrul Hassan, professor at the Department of Horticulture at Bangladesh Agricultural University, said many countries around the world are working to reduce harvest losses, and there are several methods to do so, including processing fruits to preserve them for longer periods.

"However, before marketing these products, their safety must be ensured for consumers," he said, adding, "Otherwise, entrepreneurs may lose credibility with these products right from the start."

Industry insiders note that Bangladeshi companies import mango powder worth "hundreds of crores" of taka annually — a domestic gap that farmers and small processors could potentially fill.

Alam believes the opportunity is much larger: Chapainawabganj's mango market alone is worth Tk 7,000 crore. Including neighbouring districts, he estimates that processed fruit could unlock a Tk 22,000 crore industry and create thousands of jobs.

"Drying changes everything," he said. "If more farmers start doing this, we won't just reduce waste; we'll create a new market altogether."