High-value exotic fruits make a splash

The production of some high-value exotic fruits in Bangladesh has increased significantly in the past several years as many farmers have jumped on the bandwagon of growing them commercially since they fetch higher profits. 

Thanks to the expansion of the cultivation of the fruits, the country may cut the import of exotic fruits, which may go on to save foreign currencies.

Currently, Bangladesh depends on external sources to meet 60 per cent of its demand for fruits, which cost it around Tk 2,500 crore annually.

The high-value exotic fruits that are largely being grown in the country include dragon fruits, sweet oranges, oranges, strawberries, avocadoes, persimmons, rambutans, longans, and net melons, with their combined production standing at around 2.06 lakh tonnes in the last financial year, data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) showed.

The agency also says there is a huge growth in the cultivation of the fruits across the country.

For example, the annual total production of sweet oranges, also known as malta, was 3,916 tonnes from 555 hectares of land in the fiscal year of 2014-15. Eight years later, it surged to 54,399 tonnes and the land under coverage was 6,848 hectares.

Dragon fruit cultivation stood at 851 tonnes in FY18 and it spiked more than 1,600 per cent to 13,872 tonnes.

Selim Reza, a farmer in Natore, has been cultivating dragon fruits over 13-14 bighas of land since 2012. Earlier, he used to cultivate guava and plum on the same land.

"Now I am focusing on dragon farming as it is more viable for the local environment," said Reza, who was honoured as the Agricultural Important Person by the government in 2020.

Apart from dragon fruits, Reza also cultivates avocadoes and rambutans along with local fruits.

His farm -- Dristanta Agro Farm and Nursery – is spread over 25 hectares in the northern district.

"If farmers get proper varieties, they can make a profit of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 5 lakh per bigha from the farming of dragon fruits," Reza said.

Mohammad Nazrul Islam, a farmer in Biral upazila of Dinajpur, cultivates oranges and sweet oranges. He cultivated sweet oranges on 72 decimals of land and earned around Tk 2 lakh last year.

Earlier, he used to grow paddy and maize on the land. "I turned to sweet oranges and oranges for higher profit," he said.

The dragon fruit is produced all over Bangladesh but one-fifth of it is grown in the hilly Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban districts.

In FY22, around 10,729 tonnes of sweet oranges were produced on 1,179 hectares of land in the Rangamati region, DAE data showed.

Mong Mong Sing, a farmer in Bandarban Sadar, said: "The cultivation of dragon fruits is profitable here and the fruit grown here is tastier than those farmed in the plain land."

In the hilly areas, farmers harvest the produce for six months and sell them at Tk 150 to Tk 180 per kilogramme in the Bandarban district town. Traders then take the fruits to the markets in Chattogram, Cumilla and Dhaka.

"The interest in agriculture is increasing among the highly educated youth. They are keen to cultivate exotic agricultural products breaking conventional trends," said Mehedi Masood, deputy director of the DAE's horticulture wing.

"There is a bright prospect for high-value fruit production in Bangladesh. But the problems related to cultivation and marketing should be resolved immediately."

The government sells fruit saplings through its horticulture centres. It earned around Tk 3 crore in 2019-2020 and Tk 5.75 crore in 2020-2021 from the selling of saplings.

The annual sales by private nurseries may go past Tk 120 crore, Masood added.

Currently, a farmer can earn Tk 4-5 lakh from cultivating dragon fruits on one acre of land. But the DAE is introducing a high-density planting method that will allow a grower to get Tk 10 lakh from the same land, he said.

Wishing anonymity, an official of the DAE says farmers should not jump on the bandwagon of cultivating exotic fruits just only to make profits and without proper planning.

"Sometimes some government officials tried to mislead farmers for their self-interest and through the selling of low-quality saplings or varieties. It may hurt farmers financially."

According to the DAE and local farmers, during the coronavirus pandemic when people were grappling with reduced incomes and job losses, the agriculture sector witnessed a spurt in investments.

Many new entrepreneurs, who are financially capable, entered the agriculture sector and showed an inclination towards the farming of fruits.

Imported fruit sales dominate the market from September to January due to a lower supply of domestically grown fruits during the period.

Bangladesh imported 3.56 lakh tonnes of fruits in FY18 and it went down to around 3 lakh tonnes in FY19. In FY21, 6.16 lakh tonnes of fruit were purchased from the international markets. Of them, 77 per cent were apples and sweet oranges, according to the DAE.

Among the imported fruits, 94 per cent came from China, India, South Africa, Egypt, Bhutan and Brazil, while the rest were imported from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Afghanistan.