Bangladesh: Seasonal fruit markets bustle with buyers

Fruit shops in the capital have filled their shelves with a variety of local seasonal fruits including mango, lychee, pineapple, watermelon, and java apple (jamrul). Street vendors are also selling these fruits. Fruit sellers say the demand for local fruits is high now and the market for seasonal fruits will be more vibrant within 10 days when mango arrives from Rajshahi. Customers are flocking to the wholesale fruit markets of Dhaka including Badamtoli, Wise Ghat, Sadar Ghat, Hatirpul Bazar, and to retail shops to buy local seasonal fruits. However, wholesale buyers are drawn more to the warehouses of lychees and mangoes than other fruits. Rabiul Hawladar bought 4,000 litchis for Tk8,000. He said, "I will sell these fruits sitting on the sidewalk in Sadarghat. There is a huge demand for mangoes and litchis in the market now." Traders in the Badamtali and Wise Ghat wholesale fruit markets said mangoes are coming mostly from Satkhira now and litchi is coming from Kapasia and ...