Rajshahi Correspondent:

For the first time in over a decade, mangoes from Rajshahi’s Bagha upazila have failed to reach international markets, leaving local farmers and traders disheartened.

Excessive rainfall this season has affected the fruit’s appearance, making them unfit for export and halting a 14-year streak of successful overseas shipments.

Mango growers and exporters in Bagha upazila of Rajshahi district are facing major setbacks this year as their mangoes, traditionally exported to Europe and beyond, remain unsold in international markets.

The interruption is a result of excessive rainfall, which has affected the colour and visual quality of the mangoes; key factors for export readiness.

In the previous season, 105 metric tons of mangoes from the region were exported to countries including the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, France and Russia. This year, traders had planned to export around 200 metric tons, but the plan has been shelved due to lack of demand from foreign buyers.

Bagha, renowned for its 500-year-old Shahi Mosque, holds a deep cultural connection to mangoes. The mosque’s inscriptions even reflect the area’s rich mango heritage.

From 2010 to 2024, Bagha’s mangoes were regularly exported abroad, establishing a reputation for quality.

The upazila has 8,570 hectares of mango orchards, out of Rajshahi district’s total of 17,943 hectares. Popular varieties like Gopalbhog, Himsagar, Amrapali, Lengra, Totapuri, Fazli and Lakhna are cultivated here and were in high demand internationally.

Ashrafudoula, an exporter from Kaligram, noted that with assistance from the agriculture office, they had previously used specially designed packaging featuring terracotta imagery from Shahi Mosque to market the mangoes abroad. “Despite all preparations, this year no export orders came through,” he said, adding that both farmers and traders are now suffering financial losses.

Bagha Upazila Agriculture Officer Shafiullah Sultan confirmed the issue, saying, “Our mangoes are well-known and typically exported. But due to excessive rainfall, the fruits did not develop the ideal colour needed for export, so buyers declined to take them.”

The halted exports are expected to impact hundreds of local farmers, many of whom depend on the international mango trade for their livelihoods.