M A Awal, Narsingdi :
Over 1000 poor families of Jinardee Union and Ghorashal Pourashava areas under Polash Upazila of Narsingdi district have become self-reliant economically through commercial farming of the Honey Queen variety of pineapple.
Department of Agriculture Extension sources said, some 15000 acres of land have been brought under pineapple cultivation in the upazila during the current season. A good number of farmers specially at Raban, Borabo and Koratali villages of Jinerdee union and same hilly areas of Ghorashal prashava under polash upazila involved themselves in cultivating Honey Queen pineapple for a long time considering its economic prospect.
Honey Queen pineapple, a popular and juicy fruit across the country, is small in size but more sweet and tasty than others variety of pineapple in the country. Most of the farmers usually cultivated pineapple in their homestead gardens.
This Correspondent recently visited Borabo, Raban and Koratali villages of Polash Upazila and found farmers busy in their pineapple garden in harvesting the early variety of the fruit with much enthusiasm. The growers told This Correspondent they have brought about a new dimension in the pineapple farming during the summer.
Jiten Roy, a farmer of Raban village, said this year he has cultivated 60 decimal of land with a cost of Taka 10,000. So far he earned Taka about 80000 by selling the pineapple and is expected to earn more than Taka 50000 by selling the rest pineapple in this garden.
Similarly Tushar Pal of Borabo Village and Rabindronath of Koratoli village narrated their success story that their net profit is over taka 100000 to 120000 every year from Honey Queen pineapple farming from their 40 decimal lands only.
We are very happy with this years yield of Pineappe and farming of this seasonal juicy fruit has changed our lots, some growers said. Many farmers in different villages of the district are now getting interested to make Pineapple orchards on commercial basis instead of cultivating jute, paddy or other crops, they added.
