Production fall upsets guava farmers

Hundreds of guava growers in Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur and Barisal are worried due to drastic fall in production and fungus attack this year.

Our Barisal correspondent reports: Most of the guava orchards are 20 to 25 years old, which is a reason for low production, said growers in Pirojpur's Swarupkathi, Jhalakathi Sadar and Barisal's Banairpara upazilas. 

Ranjit Kumar Halder of Jhalakathi's Kirtipasha union said the price of one kg of guava is around Tk 25 to Tk 30 at the wholesale market, but it may fall to Tk 5 to Tk 6 per kg within a month.

From one acre of orchard, a farmer can earn about Tk 30,000 to Tk 35,000 by spending Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000, he added.

As there is no agro-based industry for the fruit, growers are often compelled to sell their produce at throwaway prices, said Sekhor Shikder, chairman of Kuriana Union Parishad in Swarupkathi.

Farmer Niranjan Shikdar of the area said many growers are cultivating other crops abandoning guava as they are not getting fair price.

Barisal Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Deputy Director Tushar Kanti Majumdar said production in Barisal may be 3,025 tonnes from 335 hectares of orchards, 6,902 tonnes from 827 hectares in Jhalakathi and 7,806 tonnes from 875 hectares in Pirojpur this year.

Guava production may be hampered this year due to bacteria attack, he added.

Farmers and the DD said setting up of cold storages, easy road communication and availability of short-term loans can boost guava production and make way for jam, jelly and juice industries.

Our Pirojpur correspondent reports: Guava growers in Jhalakathi and Pirojpur are worried that they might not be able to recover their production cost due to fall in production this season.

Many guava farmers in those two districts said they do not know the exact reason behind the production fall this season but fear that their orchards might have been attacked by some unknown disease.

According to Jhalakathi DAE, guava trees are usually planted between June and September and bear fruit in two to three years.

The trees, which live for over 50 years, start flowering in April and May and the fruit ripens in July and August, he added.

“We thought the guavas will ripen in time like the previous years, but that did not happen, rather most of the fruit are drying up and falling from the trees,” said Prodip Kumar Halder of Adamkathi village in Swarupkathi of Pirojpur.

“Whenever I see my guava orchards it hurts me as it my main source of income,” he said.

“I bought two guava orchards for Tk 1 lakh about two months ago when the trees just started flowering,” trader Raton Mistry said, adding that he fears a huge loss as the immature fruits are falling from the trees.

Jhalakathi DAE Deputy Director Sheikh Abu Bakar Siddik said around 500 hectares of land have been brought under guava cultivation in the district this season.

The fall in production this year is very natural as there was a bumper production last year, he added.