English
বাংলা
The story
Ishwardi, in Pabna district, is better known to most Bangladeshis as a railway junction and the site of the Rooppur nuclear plant, but in early summer it turns into litchi country. Orchards are so common that litchi is treated locally as a cash crop rather than a garden fruit. In the unions of Salimpur, Dashuria, Pakshi, Sahapur and Lakshmikunda, almost every village has large orchards, and the upazila agriculture office counted more than 4,600 hectares under litchi in 2026.
Most of the harvest is Bombai, the everyday red litchi that dominates Bangladeshi markets: medium to large, bright red, with juicy, sweet-sour white flesh. Orchards are often sold to traders while the fruit is still on the tree, and during the season whole families work through the day picking, sorting and counting fruit into bundles, packing cartons and loading trucks for Dhaka, Chattogram and other cities. Ishwardi litchi typically reaches city markets alongside fruit from Rajshahi and Dinajpur, and traders often name it separately because buyers ask for it.
The season is short. Picking generally runs from late May to the middle of June, depending on the weather, and a hot spell or a hailstorm can bring it forward or cut it short. Dinajpur, with its GI-registered Bedana, is the bigger and better-known litchi district; Ishwardi is famous for volume and for good Bombai.
How to spot the real Ishwardi litchi
There is no way to prove from the fruit that a litchi grew in Ishwardi, so judge the litchi itself. Ripe Bombai litchi has a natural red to reddish-pink skin, sometimes with patches of orange or brown, and a fresh, sweet smell. Be wary of fruit that is unnaturally shiny and uniformly bright red, which can mean colour has been applied to unripe litchi. Press gently: a good fruit is firm and springy, not rock hard or soft and squashy. The skin should be free of cracks and dark rot near the stalk, and green, fresh stalks on a bunch show it was picked recently. At home, a soak in clean water that turns pink is a warning sign of added colour. Peeled, the flesh should be glossy white and juicy.
Buying tips
Litchi is sold by count, usually per hundred, so ask how many fruits you will get rather than how many kilos, and whether the bundle is graded by size. Ask the seller which variety it is, when it was picked, and how it will be packed; litchi travels best in ventilated cartons or baskets lined with leaves, and it starts to brown within a couple of days in heat. Ask which courier will carry it and how long it takes to reach you, and order early in the season if you can. Prices swing sharply with supply, size and the number of hands the fruit passes through.
Every Midmart shop charges its own delivery, so litchi from Ishwardi and mangoes from another district mean two parcels and two charges. Midmart is not involved in the payment or the courier: you and the seller agree how to pay and how the fruit will travel. Listings are the seller's description; ask the questions above before you pay.
Keeping it fresh
Litchi does not ripen further after picking. Keep it unwashed in a perforated bag or a covered box in the fridge and eat it within a few days; the skin browns quickly at room temperature even when the flesh is still fine. Wash just before eating, and discard any fruit that smells fermented or has soft, leaking flesh.
Find Ishwardi litchi on Midmart
Shops from where it is made
No shop from Pabna is on Midmart yet.
Every shop on Midmart collects payment its own way and arranges its own delivery — Midmart never handles your money or your parcel. Delivery is charged per shop: order from three shops and you pay three delivery charges.
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