Farmers from Nagpur and beyond in Maharashtra are facing difficulties in sending their oranges to neighboring country Bangladesh. Orange growers used to send 6,000 tonnes of the fruit daily to Bangladesh till last year, but the trade declined after Dhaka increased the import duty on oranges from Rs 20 per kg in 2019 to Rs 88 per kg in November 2023. The price of oranges in Bangladesh is so high that it is no longer a profitable deal for local traders to buy oranges from India.
farmers suffered losses
Farmers in Vidarbha believe Bangladesh has increased import duty in retaliation after India banned the export of onions, a staple of local cuisine, to protect the domestic market, news agency PTI reported. Late last month, the government eased the export ban on onion, which was imposed in December last year, allowing its export to Bangladesh, UAE, Bhutan, Bahrain, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is not clear whether the government of Bangladesh will reduce the import tax on oranges, especially with the start of onion exports to Bangladesh. If this happens, farmers in Maharashtra, the largest producer of oranges in the country, will get some relief for the next crop in December.
Orange consumption in Bangladesh
The report quoted farmers as saying that Bangladeshis crave a Nagpur orange after every meal because its juicy fiber has the right pH value that is common in that country to soothe the stomach after a meat-rich diet. Is used. In the tit-for-tat trade fight, oranges are not the only ones to suffer.
Government accepted
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had admitted in the Lok Sabha in December that the increase in import duty rates by Bangladesh had hit India’s orange exports. Goyal said India had requested Bangladesh to reconsider the policy in the interest of orange farmers in India, but was told that it was applicable for imports from all countries without any discrimination.
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