The country's fruit production has experienced a big boost over the recent years, as yields of some non-traditional varieties have ballooned significantly, official statistics showed.
Bangladesh's fruit sector has demonstrated a remarkable growth and resilience in the last fiscal year (FY), 2024-25, driven by a massive surge in watermelon, banana and guava cultivation as well as a steady rise in exotic fruit production, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data showed.
According to the BBS latest data, while some traditional fruits faced a slight decline, the overall production landscape is shifting towards high-value and climate-responsive fruits.
The country's fruit production has increased mainly due to a significant year-on-year growth in watermelon production, which has skyrocketed to 1.98 million metric tonnes (MT) in FY 2025 from that of 581,677 MT in FY 2024.
The nearly four-fold increase is attributed to a massive expansion in acreage, with the farmers dedicating 142,817 acres to the fruit cultivation last year compared to 64,718 acres in FY 2024, the BBS data showed.
Banana (ripe) saw a rise to 862,692 MT in FY 2025 from that of 813,560 MT. Guava reached 266,405 MT in the last fiscal from 257,985 MT in the previous fiscal.
A major highlight of the year was a continued expansion of exotic fruits, like dragon fruit and malta (sweet orange). Dragon fruit production grew significantly to 12,522 MT, up from 9,754 MT, the BBS data showed.
Malta yields jumped to 12,929 MT from 11,064 MT, reflecting the success of the Department of Agricultural Extension's (DAE) initiatives to promote citrus cultivation in the hilly and northern districts.
The production of strawberry, though a minor fruit, has grown by nearly 21 per cent to 435 MT in FY 2025 from that of 358.69 MT in FY 2024.
Agricultural experts have noted that favourable weather conditions and high market demands during the summer months have prompted the farmers, particularly in the coastal and char regions, to switch from cultivation of traditional cereals to watermelon.
While 'temporary' fruits flourished, the status of 'permanent' fruits showed a more stabilized, albeit slightly downward trend, as per the BBS statistics.
Mango production saw a marginal decline, falling from 1.89 million MT to 1.87 million MT. Despite the dip in volume, the area under mango cultivation increased to 344,216 acres, suggesting that while more trees were planted, average yields were impacted by climatic fluctuations.
Jackfruit, the national fruit, remained steady with a production of 1.02 million MT, though the total area decreased slightly by about 4,000 acres.
Despite the production growth, the DAE has warned that post-harvest losses remain a critical bottleneck.
Estimates suggest that 25-35 per cent of fruits like papaya and guava are wasted due to lack of adequate cold storage and transport infrastructure.
Still, Bangladesh remains dependent on imports for apples and oranges along with other fruits, spending approximately Tk 100 billion annually to import around 0.85 million MT of fruits.
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