Orange exporters from Vidarbha are facing challenges as Bangladesh, a key market, has increased the import duty from Tk 88 per kg to Tk 101 per kg. Vidarbha, a leading region in orange cultivation, spans over 126,000 hectares dedicated to orange farming, with Amravati district alone accounting for 78,000 hectares.
Specifically, the Warud and Morshi tehsils in Amravati are major contributors, covering 43,000 hectares of the orange cultivation area, earning Warud the nickname 'California of India'. Ramesh Jichkar, CEO of Shramjivi Nagpuri Santra Producers Company Ltd, highlighted that Vidarbha produces approximately 800,000 MT of oranges annually across two seasons. He expressed concern over Bangladesh's consistent increase in import duties over the past five years, which is adversely affecting local farmers and traders.
The Indo-Bangla Orange Association (IBOA) has sought intervention from the Indian government, as the duty hikes threaten to reduce exports to Bangladesh from 25% to less than 15% of Vidarbha's total orange production. The region typically dispatches around 60 truckloads of oranges daily to Bangladesh during the season, a number that has reportedly halved. Export statistics reveal a declining trend from over 141,000 MT in 2020-21 to an anticipated 25,000 MT in 2023-24.
[ Tk 100 = €0.79 ]
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com