Mixed dried-fruits business gaining ground

The demand for dried fruits mixed with various nuts, dates, raisins and many other comestible seeds are surging up among the health nuts due to an array of their wholesome benefits.

According to the nutritionists, all dried fruits contain a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, and are high in fiber that may work wonder for human health.

Traders said after being hard-hit by the pandemic, people have become super conscious about how to boost immunity and are purchasing dried fruits alongside juicy ones more than ever before which has driven up their business.

Once almond, peanuts, cashew, pistachios, dates, various raisins, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, prune, etc, used to be sold in small packs at spice shops only but now almost all super shops, fruit kiosks, grocery stores, and even the drugstores, sell mixed dried fruits for their growing demand.

Some well-known wholesale markets for such fruits are New Market, Jatrabari, Kaptan Bazar, Motijheel, Shah Ali Plaza in Mirpur, etc.

Professor Sharmin Rumi Alim, Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University, told The Business Post all nuts are good for health because they contain Vitamin E which is very essential and which helps boost immunity. In Jatrabari, Aziz Store proprietor Md Nazmul Hossain said the sale of mixed dried fruits is very good which is increasing day by day.

“Now we can sell more than Tk 5 lakh per month,” he pointed out.

Another fruiterer in New Market Md Liton echoed the same as Nazmul.

He said he can make sale nearly Tk 80,000 to Tk 100,000 per day.

Asked about the total number of fruiterers, Bangladesh Shop Owners Association president Md Zahirul Haque Bhuiyan said there is no official statistics about how many makeshift fruit shops have popped up in Dhaka city, but it is estimated that there are around 5,000 to 7,000 where around 10,000-12,000 people are employed.

Besides traders, students have also got into such business to earn for their tuition and other expenses.

Md Hasan Ali, a freshman at the National University, said he is doing mixed dried fruits business in Motijheel for the last one year.

“I collect most of the fruit items from Kaptan Bazar separately and then mix them up and sell half a kilogramme at Tk 650 to Tk 750,” he explained.

“Through this business I earn nearly Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per month.”

Md Alnahin Rosul, also a student, sells such fruits online. He said he earns nearly Tk 20,000 per month.

Moulvibazar Merchant Association and Bangladesh Wholesale Hot Spice Traders Association president Md Enayetullah told The Business Post that traders import dried fruits along with spices.

“Small traders collect dry fruits from various areas. They mix them up and sell out in their makeshift shops,” he said.

Most dried fruits are imported from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Croatia and some other countries.

Md Sohel Rana was spotted to buy mixed dried fruits at Motijheel. Asked about his buying habit, he said he is a regular customer of dry fruits.

“I like to eat this in the afternoon after returning home from office. I expend nearly Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,000 per month for this purpose,” said the consumer.