Northern districts fall in love with coffee farming

In the past, people in rural Bangladesh used to consider coffee as an expensive, imported South American drinking product meant for a select group of people with high income.

But the consumption of coffee is gradually growing in Bangladesh along with the changing lifestyle of the general mass.

What is more, the recent success of tea gardening in Panchagarh, Nilphamari and a few other northern districts has encouraged many to cultivate coffee as both crops need almost the same kind of climate and soil that the region has.

"Acidic soil and moderate temperature are favourable for tea and coffee cultivation as both are of shrub family," said Mesbahur Rahman, a horticulture specialist in Rangpur region of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Coffee cherries are grown in one and a half years after plantation, from which coffee powder is made, according to industry insiders.

"Consumption of coffee is increasing," said Chowdhury Kamruzzaman, director for marketing of Pran-RFL, which markets coffee.

Bangladesh consumes 1,100 tonnes of coffee as beverage through imports mainly from Vietnam, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and African countries. The yearly local market for coffee is around Tk 130 crore, and it is growing at 15 per cent.

In the northern part of Bangladesh, coffee farming has gained popularity in the last couple of years, when small growers have developed four coffee gardens in Kishoreganj and Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari district and adjacent Taraganj upazila in Rangpur.

"I heard about coffee and was looking for saplings as I like to keep uncommon varieties in my nursery," said Abdul Kuddus, a pioneer in coffee cultivation in the northern part of Bangladesh.

"Finally, I managed 254 pieces from Cox's Bazar in 2014. But there was no buyer for the saplings, as people knew very little about it," said the youthful septuagenarian, who lives in Munshipara village in Kishoreganj upazila.

Enthusiastic Kuddus, who is also a nursery owner, did not lose heart.

He instead planted the saplings in his 15-decimal land and started taking care of them with his knowledge, as the then DAE officials were reluctant to assist him.

In around two years, green cherries appeared, which became reddish after maturity, he continued. But this time Kuddus became confused as he had no idea on how to deal with the fruits.

He used his experience in nursery, broke the shells with the help of husking pedals and collected the beans.

"I fried the beans in a pan, crushed them in a flour mill and got 67 kilograms of chocolate powder called raw coffee."

"Many people spoke highly of my coffee powder then, saying they taste better than that of the branded companies," Kuddus said.

Inspired by Kuddus's success, Khadiza Akhter of Mouja Shaulmari Sunagar village in Jaldhaka upazila, collected saplings from the veteran at Tk 200 apiece.

The 49-year-old female farmer planted 586 coffee saplings in a 40-decimal land in early 2019 and fruits grew in 245 plants at the fag end of that year.

"I processed the fruits manually to get the coffee powder and sometimes offered those to dignitaries, who paid a visit to my garden, including DAE's high-ups and the deputy inspector general of police in Rangpur range and officials of the local agriculture department."

Akhter said her elder son, who is a university student, helped her with the latest information on coffee cultivation.

Sultan Ali, another coffee grower of Putimari Kachharipara village in Kishoreganj upazila, planted 90 saplings supplied and financed by a non-governmental organisation on eight decimals of land in 2019 and fruits showed up in 80 plants.

"We've set a target to create coffee gardens on 146 bighas of land by March next year," said Obaidur Rahman Mondol, deputy director of the DAE in Nilphamari.

"We are supplying the coffee saplings of high-yield Robusta variety free of cost along with other supports to encourage local people to cultivate coffee."

Coffee farmers Habib Khan of Kamarpukur village, Abu Sayed of Shangolshi, Rubel Kabiraj of Darwani village said they created gardens last month with the saplings provided by the DAE.