Traders in Rajshahi are losing interest in sending their mango by 'Mango Special Trains' to the capital Dhaka due to high rate of tariff than that of trucks.
Maximum Tk 15,000 is required to send a truck of mangoes to Dhaka. Traders can send mangoes to the arats or warehouses in wholesale markets from different rural areas of Rajshahi by loading on trucks.
A truck can carry minimum 16,000 kilograms of mango. It costs Tk 0.90 per kg on an average.
On the other hand, it requires about Tk 25,000 to send mangoes, equivalent to a truck, to Dhaka by special train of Bangladesh Railway.
In addition, traders have to go through the troubles of booking, carrying their consignments to the railway station, and collecting the consignments again from the station. It also results in a lot of delay.
Taking all these things into account, traders have lost interest of sending mangoes from Rajshahi on the very first day. As a result, trains will incur losses in transporting agricultural produce including mango.
Many think that the 'Mango Special Train' which has been introduced for transporting agricultural produce after connecting from the Bangladesh Railways western zone may face closure very soon.
However, the train brings a great relief for retailers, because they can send mangoes at half of the cost they are required to pay the courier services.
Altaf Hossain, a mango farmer and wholesaler of Durgapur area in Rajshahi, said he has opened a godown at Amgachi Bazar in Durgapur to buy mango. He sends mango to Dhaka directly by trucks after purchasing at his godown. Each truck leaves minimum 16,000 kilograms of mango and the carrying cost stands at Tk 14,000-Tk 15,000.
"These mangoes reach the godowns in wholesale markets in Dhaka directly. Traders don't need to pay any more on the road. But, if we want to send mangoes by train from Amgachi Bazar, first, we will have to take those to Harian Railway Station in Rajshahi and pay extra fare. Moreover, there are troubles of booking at the station. Coolies at the railway station charge minimum Tk 30 for unloading and loading each carton or carat (25 kg) of mango to train," he said.
Then, a trader requires to pay Tk 1.17 as tariff for per kg of mango. When the mango will reach Dhaka, coolies will again charge Tk 30 for each carton for unloading from train and loading into another vehicle. The vehicle, either trucks or pick-ups, will transport the mango to the respective arat or godown from the station.
"If all these things are taken into account, sending mangoes, equivalent to a truck, will cost minimum Tk 25,000.
It is learnt that only 45,000 kg of mango were sent to Dhaka on Friday, the first day of Mango Special Train. However, each boggy of the train can carry minimum 45,000 kg of mango. So, the entire train remains almost empty.
Asked about the tariff of the train, Fuad Hossain, commercial officer of the Bangladesh Railway's Western Zone, said the tariff was fixed taking the train's operating expenses into account. Next steps depend on the success of this train.
RHF/RAJSHAHI/SZA
