Litchi growers all smiles

Bumper yield of litchi this season has brought smiles to the farmers in Madhukhali and Boalmari upazilas of the district.

Several litchi growers at Jahapur village in Madhukhali upazila said they are very happy with this year's production of the juicy summer fruit and that farming of this seasonal fruit has changed their lot.

“Litchi farming was started around 300 years ago by a landlord in our area. He made an orchard here with litchi plant brought from Madras in India. I started cultivating litchi on my land 50 years ago. Now I have 17 bighas of land under litchi cultivation, which is the largest litchi orchard in our district,” said Abdul Sattar Sheikh, 70, at Jahapur village.

“I earned Tk 5 lakh from litchi last year. This year, I have leased my orchard for Tk 11 lakh for three years,” he added.

“Litchi cultivation has gained popularity in our area as it is very profitable with less investment. This is encouraging farmers to cultivate litchi rather than paddy or jute. The wage of a labourer was Tk 200 daily 10 years ago, which is now Tk 600 per day,” said litchi grower Sultan Ahmad.

“There is no house in our area that does not have a litchi tree,” he added.

On a recent visit to Madhukhali and Boalmari upazilas, this correspondent found that farmers in Jahapur, Doptordia, Tangrakandi, Monohordia, Char- Monohordia, Kharakandi, and Mirjapur villages in Madhukhali upazila and Chandpur and Chotorbazarkandi villages in Boalmari upazila are now busy collecting litchi from orchards. China-3, Bombai, Mozzaffer, Bedana and hybrid local varieties of litchi are being cultivated in the district.

“A bundle of 1,000 litchis is being sold at Tk 2,800 to Tk 3,600 this year in the local market,” said Kashem Mollik, a trader at Jahapur village.

District Department of Agriculture Extension Deputy Director Kartik Chandra Chakrabarty said, “Litchi is being cultivated commercially in Madhukhali and Boalmari upazilas, but we don't have any statistics on how much land has been brought under litchi cultivation this year. It was about 1,195 hectares of land in 2016-2017 fiscal year, on which around 186 tonnes of different varieties of litchi were produced.”