Why Are Mangoes Now Being Sold by Kilograms Instead of Mounds in Rajshahi Division?

Why Are Mangoes Now Being Sold by Kilograms Instead of Mounds in Rajshahi Division?

In a milestone change to safeguard farmers’ interests, the Rajshahi Division switched with effect from Friday from the traditional ‘Dhalan’ system to trading mangoes by the ‘kg’. This is a decisive initiative to improve transparency and ensure fair play in mango trading in major mango producing districts of Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Natore and Rajshahi.

In the past, under the Dhalan system, mangoes were sold in mounds but this was seriously flawed. Wholesalers called Aratders typically took 42 to 55 kilograms of mangoes while paying farmers for only 40 kilograms per mound, the legal weight. This long standing practice caused growers to lose a lot of money through the years.

Despite previous efforts by local officials to do away with the exploitative system, there had been very little success until now.

To implement the new policy, the divisional administration of commissioner Khandaker Azim Ahmed held a meeting with mango traders, farmers, businessmen and other stakeholders. The decision to implement the kilogram system was made unanimously and has officially been adopted in the entire division.

Commissioner Ahmed confirmed that all parties agreed to cooperate to ensure the success of a kilogram based system. Administrative officials at the district and upazila levels also received instructions to keep an eye on this new system’s roll out. The objective, he noted, is to make sure that farmers, the principal victims of the predecessor system, reap the benefits.

He further expressed that legal action will be taken against anyone attempting to escape or resist the new trading Rule because it is not in the region’s best interest to continue operating under an outdated and unjust system.

With this announcement, Rajshahi Division is taking an important step towards fairer trading and farmer empowerment, in one of Bangladesh’s largest mango producing areas.

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