Pineapple prices frustrate farmers

Although pineapple yields in Madhupur upazila of Tangail have been good this year, growers have been left frustrated by a 40 to 50 per cent drop in prices for the highly popular fruit, according to local farmers and agriculture officials.

Blaming the availability of other seasonal fruits and fall in Covid-19 infections for decreased demand, they said the lack of proper marketing facilities and food processing industries in the area are two other reasons for the fall in prices.

The Madhupur Garh region is famous for contributing a majority of the roughly two lakh tonnes of pineapple produced across Bangladesh each year.

Pineapples grown in the region, which include the Giant Q, Honey Queen and Ashwina varieties, are famous for their sweet, juicy flesh that bears a distinct aromatic flavour.

About 80 per cent of the pineapples grown in the region are the Giant Q variety while the Honey Queen and Ashwina varieties account for 10 per cent each. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Madhupur, pineapples were cultivated on around 5,800 hectares of land in the upazila this year.

Similarly, more than 3,000 hectares of land in the adjacent Ghatail and Fulbaria upazilas in Mymensingh are being used to grow the fruit.

Local agriculture officials said that pineapple growers in the region enjoyed high prices for the past two years as people increasingly consumed the fruit rich in vitamin C to help stave off Covid-19 infections.

However, pineapple prices are low this year due to decreased demand thanks to the availability of other summer fruits like mango, litchi and jackfruit while the coronavirus situation has all but subsided, they added.

Several pineapple traders at Jalchhatra market, the largest pineapple market in Madhupur, said although Giant Q pineapples sold for between Tk 30 and Tk 50 depending on size last year, the same fruit is now selling for no more than Tk 15 to Tk 30.

Tariqul Islam, a pineapple grower in the Mote Bazar area, said he cultivated pineapples on four acres of land this year.

"I have harvested 200 naturally ripened pineapples from my orchard a couple of days ago but could not sell them yet due to the lack of buyers," he added.  

Echoing the same, Saiful Islam, a farmer in Beribadh area who cultivated pineapples on four bighas of land, said even though yields are good, prices are very low this season.

"Wholesalers are not offering more than Tk 12 to Tk 15 per piece for the pineapples that cost at least Tk 30 last year," he added.

With this backdrop, several growers emphasised on the need for setting up food processing or juice industries in the region to help them get fair prices for their produce.

Another issue though is that a section of farmers is using excessive amounts of pesticides and chemicals to grow pineapples, which is making health-conscious people lose interest in the fruit, sources said.

However, local farmers insist that they have no alternative to using such chemicals as they would otherwise incur losses if forced to wait for the fruits to ripen naturally.

Besides, most wholesalers are uninterested in buying naturally ripened fruits as most of them rot during transportation, they said.

Contacted, Al Mamun Russel, upazila agriculture officer of Madhupur, said ripening agents are used all over the world and they are not harmful for human health if used correctly.

Still though, a section of local pineapple growers is using the chemical in excessive amounts at will, which reduces the taste and quality of the fruits.

"We always suggest that they do not use more than the recommended dosage but they do not care about it," he added.

Asked about the possibility of setting up of food and juice processing industries in the area for locally grown pineapples and other fruits, the agriculture officer said they have already asked the agriculture minister to take an initiative in this regard.