Sweet-sour & money-spinner

Cultivation of the mouth-watering lotkon is proving to be a money-spinner in Panchagarh district as farmers have successfully managed to increase its production over the last few years.

As demand for the yellow, oval-shaped fruit with an appealing savoury flavour rises, the crop is gaining popularity among local farmers both as an intercrop in areca nut plantations and also in household gardens where it grows naturally with a little extra care.

Farming of lotkon, also known as Baccaurea ramiflora or Burmese grape, has already changed the fortunes of a number of farmers in the district, with the fruit so much in demand that buyers are often  willing to pick the fruit directly from the trees, making the sales process for growers very convenient.

About 14.3 hectares of land in the district has been brought under lotkon cultivation, with five to eight tonnes of fruit being produced per hectare, according to sources at the Panchagarh office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

The current year has seen a good yield with lotkon growers further blessed by traders buying large quantities for between Tk 50-70 per kilogram. Panchagarh's lotkons are then sent across the county, including to Dhaka.

Saiful Islam, 40, a lotkon farmer of Haribhasha union in Panchagarh Sadar upazila, has 15 lotkon trees, planted around a decade ago in his areca plantation. This season he has sold Tk 30,000 worth of fruit to local traders.

"Lotkon farming is comparatively easy and returns a handsome profit," he says.

According to Saiful, the application of some fertilisers and loose soil at the base of the trees in late February is the only maintenance required.

Forty-eight-year-old Md Hasan Ali of Panimaspukuri village has been working as a lotkon trader for several years.

"This area is famous for lotkons," he says. "This year I bought fruit from around 100 trees for Tk 1.8 lakh. And I sold them for around Tk 2.6 lakh. It was quite a big profit."

Lotkon cultivation on a larger scale in the district began between 1995 and 2000, with many now growing the fruit due to the possibility for sizeable profits, says DAE Deputy Director SM Asraf Ali in Panchagarh. The fruit is an especially popular crop in Panimaspukuri, Haribhasha and Jagdal villages, he adds.