Malta farming gaining popularity in Moulvibazar
Malta is gaining popularity in Moulvibazar. Successful yield of malta brings substantial amount of money to the farmers.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the delicious fruit is cultivated locally. Many in the district are now showing interest in cultivating organic malta for commercial purposes.
Farmer Al Amin of Munshibazar in Rajnagar upazila of Moulvibazar said he started cultivating malta in 2017 following the advice of the DAE.
"I hope I can sell malta for lakhs of taka in one season," he said.
Another farmer of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila Humayun Kabir said he is expecting to get four maunds of malta from his garden this year.
Al Amin said, "I started cultivating Malta on 60 decimals of land in Nandiura village of Rajnagar upazila. The DAE provided him with 180 malta saplings of Bari-1 variety. I spent Tk three lakh for the cultivation. I have taken several trainings on malta cultivation from the Department of Agricultural Extension."
"I also visited Malta gardens in different districts. This time I have also started selling fruits from malta garden. In the first step, I sold two maunds of malta at Tk 150 per kg," he said.
Local buyers are buying 5-10 kg of malta from him, Al Amin said.
According to the Moulvibazar office of the Department of Agricultural Extension, this hilly district is suitable for malta cultivation. But local farmers are not familiar with this crop. Someone may have planted a couple of malta saplings in the yard as a hobby.
It added that no one had any idea of commercial farming. In this situation, the department of agriculture took initiative to cultivate malta in the district by bringing some saplings from Jaintapur Agricultural Research Institute in Sylhet.
Kazi Lutful Bari, deputy director of DAE in Moulvibazar, said they trained the unemployed youths and encouraged them to cultivate malta by providing free saplings.
The DD added that there are 275 malta gardens in Moulvibazar. Malta has been cultivated in almost all the upazilas of the district.
They are expecting to produce 480 tonnes of malta this year, he said.
Bari added that many are now interested in cultivating malta as it brings good profit to farmers.
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