<i>A good move in CHT wanes for lack of govt support</i>

Farmer Nur Hossain looking at withered leaves in his coffee plantation at Barapilak in Ramgarh upazila in Khagrachhari district.Photo: STAR

The Tk 12 crore 'Mixed crop cultivation project' that created great enthusiasm among hill people is virtually ending in failure, much to the frustration of farmers.
The project under Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDV) was launched in 2001 under a Tk 1288 crore rehabilitation programme. It involved over 450 households in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban who cultivated coffee and other value added nontraditional crops on 1350 acres of government land. The project period ended last year.
CHTDB distributed saplings of coffee and other crops in 2001.
The project showed initial success but ended in failure due to alleged lack of attention by project officials and facilities, the farmers said.
About 500 kilograms of coffee were produced in the three hill districts last year.
This correspondent recently visited coffee plantations in Bara Pilak, Chhoto Pilak, Jaliyapara, Khamarbari, Ramgarh, Babuchhara and Matiranga in Khagrachhari hills and talked to farmers. They said there is good prospect of coffee cultivation in the hills but plants in many areas are withering due to lack of irrigation.
They said coffee cultivation is much more profitable than traditional crops like pineapple and other fruits, ginger and rice but their enthusiasm is dying due to lack of processing and marketing facilities.
Farmer Nur Hossen of Bara Pilak village in Ramgarh upazila said he earned Tk 12,000 by selling 40 kilograms of coffee at the rate of Tk 300 a kilogram. He has about 40 kilograms unsold, collected from his garden with 800 plantats.
“Production is being hampered due to lack of irrigation now”, he said.
Abdus Salam of Bara Pilak village said he got 10 kilograms of coffee from 200 plants last year. “We can not provide irrigation in the hills as it needs huge funds”, he said.
All the farmers demanded extension of the project period.
Project manager Shamol Bikash Chakma they mentioned the irrigation problem and lack of processing facilities in their report submitted to the authorities.
He said CHTDB may consider setting up of a small coffee processing plant. The equipment costs between Tk 20,000 and Tk 30,000, he said.
The project manager said cultivation of value added crops like coffee, orange and mango can bring affluence in the while CHT.