Bumper litchi yield delights growers in Lalmonirhat
Litchi cultivation has brought smiles to a good number of farmers at many villages in the district, with a bumper yield of the juicy summer fruit this season.
Several itchi growers at Fulgachh village of Sadar upazila said they are very happy with this year's production of litchi, and farming of this seasonal fruit has changed their lot.
"We earn Tk 40,000 to Tk 1 lakh by growing litchi on one bigha of land, while the earning we made earlier from paddy or jute on the same area was Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 a year,” Shamser Ali, a farmer at Kamlabari village of Aditmari upazila, said.
"I earned Tk 1 lakh from litchi cultivation on my three bighas of land, while I used to earn Tk 25,000 to Tk 28,000 each year from paddy or jute on the same area," said litchi grower Mansur Ali of Fulgachh village.
Abdul Hamid, a farmer at Kodalkhata village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said "I earned Tk 1 lakh from 65 litchi trees on two bighas of land last year. This year, I have already earned Tk 60,000, and hope to earn Tk 70,000 more this month. Traders from different areas purchase 1,000 pieces of litchi at Tk 900 to Tk 1,200.”
Farmers at Kodalkhata, Bhatibari, Fulgachh, Megharam, Mogholhat, Teesta and Gokunda villages under Lalmonirhat Sadar, Kamlabari, Bhelabari, Durakuti, Balapukur, Bhadai and Polashi villages under Aditmari upazila, Tusvandar, Chaparhat, Chakla, Dulali and Dalgram villages under Kaliganj upazila, Barokhata, Nawdabsh, Goddimari, Sindurna villages under Hatibandha upazila and Pabna Tari, Jongra and Panbari villages under Patgram upazila in the district are now busy collecting litchi from orchards. Chaina-3, Bombai, Mozzaffer, Bedana and hybrid deshi varieties of litchi are being cultivated in the district.
There are about 600 orchards on 21,00 bighas of land in five upazilas of the district where different varieties of litchi are grown, officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said.
Commercial litchi farming was started in the district in 1990. Before that, very few farmers grew litchi as they were habituated to farming other crops, especially paddy. But now litchi has spread to many villages of the district, they added.
Abdur Rafique, a litchi trader at Mogholhat Raiway gate in Lalmonirhat town, said a bundle of 100 pieces of litchi is being sold at Tk 120-Tk 200 in the local market. “We purchase 100 pieces of litchi at Tk 80-Tk 120 from the growers in their orchards,” he added.
Better yield and profit with less investment are encouraging farmers to cultivate litchi, said Safayet Hossain, deputy director of DAE in Lalmonirhat. “DAE officials provide technical support to farmers for better production of litchi in the district's orchards,” he added.
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