Fruit exports collapse: earnings down 76 percent in first quarter, transport cost more than triples

Bangladesh's fruit export earnings fell 76 percent in the first quarter of the current 2026-27 fiscal year. An international transport crisis, limitations in product storage, and long-standing gaps in meeting the strict plant-health conditions of importing countries have put the export sector under pressure.

According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), fruit exports earned 7.38 million dollars in the July-September quarter. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, the earnings were 30.86 million dollars. Export earnings have therefore fallen 76 percent within a year.

The main markets for fruit exports are the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, along with other Middle Eastern countries. There is demand for Bangladeshi mangoes and jackfruit in these markets. But the international transport crisis and rising costs have become a major obstacle for exporters.

Transport costs have risen to more than three times their earlier level. Anup Das, director of fruit and vegetable exporting firm Alexa Trading Corporation, said the cost of transporting goods has risen from 2,000 to 2,200 dollars to between 7,000 and 8,000 dollars.

Hafizur Rahman, a member of the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association, said competition in international markets has become difficult because transport costs have risen abnormally.

An official of the Plant Quarantine Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension said the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the transport of goods by sea. This has also affected fruit exports.

There is also a lack of adequate cargo facilities and regular flights by air. As a result, it has become difficult to deliver goods on time. Because of the transport complications, shipments of coconut to Oman and cabbage to the Maldives are currently stuck.

Alongside the transport crisis, gaps in identifying the origin and supply chain of products, inadequate cold storage, packing houses and post-harvest management are also hampering exports. The absence of enough collection centres and packing houses near the airport has made it a challenge to keep fruits and vegetables fresh before export.

Hafizur Rahman said the lack of awareness about traceability, or identifying the source of products, and limited contract farming are making it difficult to comply with international standards.

Md Mahbubul Alam Shakib, a lecturer at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, said farmers often do not keep records of their pesticide and fertiliser use. As a result, if pesticide residue above the permitted level is found in exportable fruit, it is difficult to trace its source.

To solve this problem, he suggested expanding contract farming and introducing an easy digital system in Bangla for farmers to record their chemical use. Mahbubul Alam also said that without an effective refrigeration system, or cold chain, from the production site to the export centre, the risk of fruits and vegetables spoiling increases. Product quality can also suffer while being transported to the central packing house at Shyampur in Dhaka.

In this situation, he stressed setting up packing houses and treatment centres near production areas such as Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj. Meeting plant-health conditions is important for fruit exports in international markets. Vapour heat treatment (VHT) and hot water treatment (HWT) facilities are especially needed to enter new markets.

Hafizur Rahman said these treatment facilities are extremely important in the main export markets, but there are not enough such facilities in the country. Exporters believe it will be difficult to restore the export earnings of this promising sector unless the gaps in transport costs, cold storage and treatment facilities are overcome.