Mango processing still a missed opportunity

Astha is a department store near the Chapainawabganj New Market, but it offers no value-added mango products made by local entrepreneurs. Neither does T Mart, another such store at the Belepukur intersection.
Even in food shops at the New Market, no such products are available, except for simple mango bars and drinks manufactured by two Dhaka-based conglomerates.
This not only reflects the unavailability of value-added products in the "mango capital" of Bangladesh, but also the country's failure to tap into the full economic potential of the delectable summer fruit.
Blessed with fertile soil and tropical climate, Bangladesh is among the world's top 10 mango-producing nations, with the 2024-25 yield target set at around 2.7 million tonnes.
However, it significantly lags behind its Asian peers, including India, in large-scale commercial mango processing.
"So far, we have focused on the ripe fruit. But the full potential of our mangoes can only be realised by processing them in factories and making a range of value-added products that we can sell all year round," Md Munjer Alam of Chapainawabganj, who became an agripreneur after quitting his lucrative job at a multinational firm in Dhaka in 2018, told The Financial Express.
With around 1,500 varieties, neighbouring India is known as the world's largest mango producer and also has a thriving processing industry.
Well-equipped with advanced manufacturing facilities and state-of-the-art machinery, the industry produces an array of items, such as juice, nectar, squash, jam, jelly, pickle, chutney, candy, ice cream, canned mango slice, yogurt, etc. Aam papad (mango leather) is a popular snack in the country.
Thailand is also a big player in mango processing, with a focus on both domestic and export markets. The Nam Dok Mai variety is very popular both in fresh and processed forms.
The processed products let Thais enjoy the taste of mangoes round the year, while mango sticky rice, a common street food, also appeals to foreign tourists.
There is no official data on the size of the processed mango product market in Bangladesh, but Munjer estimates it at Tk 5 billion, while Pran-RFL Group, one of the largest agro-processors in the country, puts it at Tk 15 billion.
Munjer said the market can grow as big as Tk 150 billion if more processing plants are set up.
According to the international market research firm IMARC Group, the global processed mango product market size was $22.2 billion in 2024 and would reach $36.3 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.16 per cent between 2025 and 2033.
Munjer, managing partner and chief executive officer at Barendra Krishi Udyog, has been hammering the importance and potential of mango processing into policymakers and stakeholders for years, but has seen no substantial progress yet.
He believes investments and initiatives are needed both from the government and the private sector to build a robust processing industry, while the former should play a major role.
Extensive efforts are not needed to create a new market for processed products as the demand is already high both at home and abroad, he noted.
"I have worked with Americans, Egyptians, Sri Lankans, and Europeans for many years here. Instead of eating ripe mangoes, they prefer processed items that they can have as snacks. My business partner lives in Singapore, and the picture is the same there," he said.
Local processing will also reduce product prices and help Bangladesh compete regionally, he explained.
For instance, mango powder made by India's MDH is retailed here at around Tk 1,800-2,000 per kg. However, the production cost before packaging will be only Tk 500 per kg if it is produced locally, he said.
Munjer produces mango powder on a small scale and has sent samples to Greece and South Korea. He also makes dried items, including mango pitha (cake).
He markets and sells his products under the brand name Suddha, which represents safe food, and has an outlet at the Gabtola intersection, not far from the New Market.
The entrepreneur wants to produce the items on a large scale, but that requires a modern factory. Establishing such a facility demands significant capital, which he does not have.
His attempts to secure bank financing have so far been unsuccessful, and he claimed banks are not that interested in lending for this purpose.
However, banks in Chapainawabganj said they are willing to finance any viable mango business, given the borrower meets all the eligibility criteria.
Requesting anonymity, an official of a private commercial bank said they would prefer issuing a loan for an industrial mango venture if the borrower already has a primary business that generates steady cash flow, such as a rice mill.
The primary business will be viewed as better collateral, maximising the chance of the loan being sanctioned and minimising the default risk on the borrower's part, he added.
Accompanied by the director of the Exportable Mango Production Project under the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), an Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation visited Chapainawabganj this May. Munjer showed them his products, and they highly appreciated his venture.
He also told them he needs $100,000, including capital machinery and working capital, to start a large-scale processing factory.
His efforts have also been noticed by the local agriculture authorities. Dr Ashis Kumar Saha, chief scientific officer at the Regional Horticulture Research Station (RHRS) in Chapainawabganj, said some entrepreneurs, including Munjer, have initiated mango processing, which could grow further.
He suggested that entrepreneurs interested in mango processing seek technological support from the Postharvest Technology Division under the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
"The RHRS is a research organisation. We invent technology. We can also arrange training for entrepreneurs, but we do not provide finance. They should seek that from banks and other sources," he told The Financial Express.
Chapainawabganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary Bankim Chandra Das thinks lack of training is a key reason why mango processing has not flourished in the district.
He said Chapai Agro Industries attempted to store mangoes in cold storage in Moharajpur without proper technical knowledge, but the fruits rotted and had to be dumped eventually.
The risk of loss is high without training and initial losses can demotivate an entrepreneur, he explained.
"Two stalls at this year's trade fair in Chapainawabganj displayed and sold various processed mango products. The success of one entrepreneur will inspire another, and processing will then increase. Even I myself am interested," he told The Financial Express.
Bankim said industrial processing can develop fast if the government provides financial support or bank loans can be availed on flexible terms.
He recently had ripe mango slices processed and packaged in Thailand. "They were very delicious. The taste resembled that of mango bars, yet distinct."
Minimising pre- and post-harvest losses is another major benefit of processing. Mangoes drop from the tree naturally before they are fully ripe, and those usually are not sold in the market. But they can be processed in factories.
Conversely, once collected from the tree, mangoes are in a constant race against time as they are highly perishable. The high yield in the short season creates a glut in the market, which not only often drives down prices but also causes many mangoes to decay, especially those that remain unsold.
If these mangoes are sent to factories in prime condition, this loss can be avoided, said Munjer.
Dr Md Abdul Alim, head of the Department of Food Engineering and Technology at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, said the post-harvest loss caused by improper handling, transportation, and other factors is estimated at 25 per cent. He said fresh mangoes provide the highest amount of nutrients, while processing reduces the nutritional value to some degree.
But the extent of reduction is negligible and processing is the only way to have year-round supply of mango in the form of value-added items, he underscored.
"Big companies usually process the cheap varieties, preserving the pulp in drums for months. These mangoes are a bit sour, and various sweetening agents are used while making value-added products," Dr Alim told The Financial Express. He also said the standard of value-added mango items made for mass people in Bangladesh is deliberately kept low. For example, the 250ml mango drink sold for Tk 20-25 contains only 15-18 per cent mango and the rest is artificial pulp that often has cheap starch.
"But this is not harmful to health. If a 250ml juice bottle contains 100 per cent mango, the price will be beyond the affordability of average consumers," added the academic.
Mango has been cultivated on 37,504 hectares of land in Chapainawabganj this season. The yield target is 0.386 million tonnes. Kansat in Shibganj upazila is known as the country's largest mango market.
To Munjer, why the government has not yet taken extensive measures to fully unlock Bangladesh's mango potential through processing is a mystery. But he is optimistic and hopes the situation will change.
"I estimate the local economy in Chapainawabganj will be as large as Tk 200 billion and employ 30,000-40,000 people if the processing industry flourishes here," he asserted.

r2000.gp@gmail.com