Palm trees bring prosperity to Burirchar residents

In Burirchar village of Mathbaria upazila under Pirojpur district, many villagers are earning a good income by selling tender palm. What started as a small, seasonal activity has now turned into a Tk 20 crore business by the end of the harvesting season.

Palm trees grow naturally along roadsides and orchard edges. After 10 to 12 years, they start bearing fruit and continue for many more years. With growing demand for tender palm, especially in Dhaka and other parts of the country, villagers have been making more profit in recent years.

Improved road connectivity has made it easier to transport the fruit, which is boosting business. Each year, harvesting begins in late April and continues for about one and a half months.

Jamal Khan, a businessman from Burirchar, said they collect tender palm from villagers and gather them by the roadside. From there, the fruit is loaded onto trucks and sent to Dhaka's Shambazaar wholesale market.

He said they buy the fruit of each palm tree for Tk 600 to 1,200, depending on production. An extra Tk 200 is spent on collection and another Tk 1,000 on transport to the trucks.

"On average, we spend Tk 80 to 100 on each bunch of tender palm, which contains 15 to 20 pieces of fruit," said another businessman, Sagir Khan.

During the harvesting season, many people get involved in the work—collecting, carrying, and transporting the fruit.

Jahirul Islam, who drives a battery-run auto-rickshaw, said many locals take up this job during the season as it pays well.

Noor Islam, a labourer, said he collects fruit from 8 to 10 trees daily. "I can earn a good amount, but it is risky work," he added.

Businessmen estimate that 25 to 30 trucks loaded with tender palm leave Pirojpur each day during the season. Each truck carries fruit worth over Tk 1.5 lakh, and the total business reaches around Tk 20 crore by the end of the season.

Despite this, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pirojpur has no official data on palm production.

Pirojpur Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Shipon Chandra Ghosh said they encourage farmers to plant palm trees to protect against lightning and sometimes distribute saplings. However, they have never recorded production figures.

He said the demand and price of tender palm are increasing every year.