November 03, 2025 | The Daily Star |
In Bangladesh’s Chapainawabganj district, entrepreneur Alam has successfully reduced mango spoilage and boosted profits through dehydration technology. His 30-bigha orchard produces around 80 tons of mangoes annually, and post-harvest losses have dropped from 35% to about 25% since he began processing fruit into dried mango and powder.
With technical support from a Japanese company, Alam began commercial dehydration in 2025, producing 700 kg of dried mango and 100 kg of powder. Dried mango now sells for Tk 2,000–2,400 per kg and powder for Tk 1,200–1,400, generating profit margins of 15–20%. Next season, he plans to expand to 20,000 kg of dried mango and 5,000 kg of powder while also processing guava and jackfruit. He is in talks with buyers from England, South Korea, and Australia for export opportunities.
Bangladesh, the world’s seventh-largest mango producer, loses over a quarter of its 27 lakh tons of mangoes yearly due to poor storage. Experts and industry leaders see immense potential in fruit dehydration, which could transform a Tk 7,000-crore mango market into a Tk 22,000-crore processed fruit industry. Alam believes scaling up fruit drying can reduce waste, increase rural incomes, and position Bangladesh in the $25 billion global processed mango market.
