Bangladesh imports about 1.58 million kilograms of fruit every day, according to statistics of Bangladesh Bank. Annually, these fruit imports account for Tk 10 billion annually.
In the financial year of 2014-15, some 1 million kg fruits were imported, while this increased to 1.27 million in 2015-16 and 1.57 million kg in 2016-17.
The majority of the imported fruits are apples, grapes, malta (mandarins), and pomegranate.
Although the production of fruits is increasing locally, this can't meet the local demand, agriculturists said. The demand for local fruits is also increasing, they added.
Papayas and bananas are grown throughout the year. Despite that, the supply of local fruits falls between January and September.
During this period, a limited number of fruits including guava, ‘amra’ and ‘boroi’ are available. As a result imported fruits dominate the local market in the period.
Out of the imported fruits, apples top in the list. In the 2016-17 fiscal, 239 million kg apples were imported.
