Before the mandarins are fully ripe, farmers in Tsirang are already fetching record-high prices this year. Mandarin growers say many exporters have visited them, offering better rates compared to previous years. Buyers have even started making early payments.
Mon Bdr. Dhahal from Gosarling Gewog is one of the mandarin growers in the district.
Until last year, he earned between Nu 500,000 to 600,000 from his orchard.
But this year, he sold his orchard, which has over 400 mandarin trees at Nu 800,000.
“All of us have sold out mandarins for this year. We have never fetched such a good price before. This year, we got a good price.”
The story is no different for other mandarin growers in other gewogs in the district.
Jambay from Mendrelgang started growing mandarin since 2004. A mandarin supplier recently agreed to pay Nu 350,000 for his orchard, which has over 600 trees.
This is the highest price he has ever fetched from the orchard.
“Last year, I got Nu 260,000 from my mandarin orchard. This year, the same orchard is earning Nu 350,000. I am even expecting between Nu 400,000 to 500,000 if some other exporters visit my orchard in the coming days.”
Mandarin growers say on average, the mandarin prices have increased by about 30-35 per cent this year.
They attribute the rise to the growing number of buyers visiting their orchards.
Pushpa Lal Archarya from Kilkhorthang Gewog said, “Many exporters and suppliers have shown interest in buying mandarin. Each of them comes with different competitive prices. We are not sure whether they might face losses later.”
Mon Bdr. Dhahal from Gosarling Gewog said, “When a buyer visited my orchard, I told him there is time and I will sell it during the season. He insisted that he will bear the losses if any. He made cash payment.”
A few suppliers told BBS that buyers have paid exorbitant prices to mandarin growers without confirming the actual market prices in Bangladesh.
The mandarin harvest season in Tsirang usually begins from next month.
According to the Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Census of Bhutan 2025, the district produced around 3,000 metric tonnes or around 300 truckloads of mandarins last year.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
