BSS, Rangpur :
Fruit cultivation has become popular among the farmers and common people to change their fortune everywhere in all five districts under Rangpur Agriculture Region in recent years.
Repeated bumper production with lucrative price have been encouraging the farmers in farming fruits, including the high-priced and quick growing variety ones, to meet nutritional demands and achieve self-reliance.
According to official sources, farmers and common people have been producing 90,000 tonnes of various fruits worth Taka 7,500 crore annually on their orchards and homesteads on 10,500 hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur region.
Talking to BSS, Horticulture Specialist Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said fruit cultivation continues expanding mainly through private sector initiatives to boost the rural economy.
“The agriculture-related departments, institutes and research organisations are providing supports to the farmers in expanding cultivation of fruits in the orchards, homesteads and fallow lands,” he said.
The farmers produced 77,000 tonnes of mango alone worth Taka 308 crore in their orchards and homesteads last year in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur region.
“Currently, there are over 4.75 lakh fruit-giving mango trees in 5,100 orchards and 12.50 lakh more fruit-giving mango trees in the homesteads situated on 7,200 hectares of land in Rangpur agriculture region,” he said.
Besides are 2.55 lakh fruit-giving litchi trees in 3,100 orchards and one lakh more fruit-giving litchi trees in the homesteads situated on 1,700 hectares of land in these five districts under Rangpur region, he added.
The farmers are also producing 2,500 tonnes of banana, papaya, ‘lotkon’, jujube, jackfruit, black berry, strawberry, olive, wood apple, guava, ‘pnaifal’. ‘bangi’, ‘amloki’, grape and other indigenous fruits worth Taka 150 crore annually in the region.
“Getting repeated bumper production with excellent market price, the framers and commoners have been expanding cultivation of all kinds of fruits every year in Rangpur region also creating huge jobs for farm-labourers,’ Mesbahul added.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said thousands of small and marginal farmers, poor families, distressed women and common people have also achieved self-reliance through cultivating fruits in the region.
“The expanded cultivation of the quick- growing fruits (jujube) like ‘baukul’, ‘applekul’ and other fruits have already changed fortune of thousands of farmers in the region,” he added.
Mamunur also suggested for setting up of fruit processing industries and developing preservation facilities to pave the way for exporting of the locally produced fruits abroad for earning foreign exchange.
Fruit growers Abdur Rahim, Isahaque Ali, Nasimul Haque and Mominur Rahman said they have achieved self-reliance through producing traditional, high-priced, quick-growing and traditional fruits in recent years like many others in recent years.
Nursery owners Khalilur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan and Karim Uddin said they have been earning profits through selling saplings of the traditional, high-valued and quick growing fruit and other tree saplings from their nurseries every year.
Adviser- Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid stressed on further expanding fruit cultivation to boost rural economy and meet nutritional demand for the population in building a healthier and talented nation. He called upon the small, marginal farmers and common people for enhancing cultivation of the high- priced and quick-growing fruits in homesteads to meet nutritional demand and also to earn extra money and change fortune.
Fruit cultivation has become popular among the farmers and common people to change their fortune everywhere in all five districts under Rangpur Agriculture Region in recent years.
Repeated bumper production with lucrative price have been encouraging the farmers in farming fruits, including the high-priced and quick growing variety ones, to meet nutritional demands and achieve self-reliance.
According to official sources, farmers and common people have been producing 90,000 tonnes of various fruits worth Taka 7,500 crore annually on their orchards and homesteads on 10,500 hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur region.
Talking to BSS, Horticulture Specialist Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said fruit cultivation continues expanding mainly through private sector initiatives to boost the rural economy.
“The agriculture-related departments, institutes and research organisations are providing supports to the farmers in expanding cultivation of fruits in the orchards, homesteads and fallow lands,” he said.
The farmers produced 77,000 tonnes of mango alone worth Taka 308 crore in their orchards and homesteads last year in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur region.
“Currently, there are over 4.75 lakh fruit-giving mango trees in 5,100 orchards and 12.50 lakh more fruit-giving mango trees in the homesteads situated on 7,200 hectares of land in Rangpur agriculture region,” he said.
Besides are 2.55 lakh fruit-giving litchi trees in 3,100 orchards and one lakh more fruit-giving litchi trees in the homesteads situated on 1,700 hectares of land in these five districts under Rangpur region, he added.
The farmers are also producing 2,500 tonnes of banana, papaya, ‘lotkon’, jujube, jackfruit, black berry, strawberry, olive, wood apple, guava, ‘pnaifal’. ‘bangi’, ‘amloki’, grape and other indigenous fruits worth Taka 150 crore annually in the region.
“Getting repeated bumper production with excellent market price, the framers and commoners have been expanding cultivation of all kinds of fruits every year in Rangpur region also creating huge jobs for farm-labourers,’ Mesbahul added.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said thousands of small and marginal farmers, poor families, distressed women and common people have also achieved self-reliance through cultivating fruits in the region.
“The expanded cultivation of the quick- growing fruits (jujube) like ‘baukul’, ‘applekul’ and other fruits have already changed fortune of thousands of farmers in the region,” he added.
Mamunur also suggested for setting up of fruit processing industries and developing preservation facilities to pave the way for exporting of the locally produced fruits abroad for earning foreign exchange.
Fruit growers Abdur Rahim, Isahaque Ali, Nasimul Haque and Mominur Rahman said they have achieved self-reliance through producing traditional, high-priced, quick-growing and traditional fruits in recent years like many others in recent years.
Nursery owners Khalilur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan and Karim Uddin said they have been earning profits through selling saplings of the traditional, high-valued and quick growing fruit and other tree saplings from their nurseries every year.
Adviser- Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid stressed on further expanding fruit cultivation to boost rural economy and meet nutritional demand for the population in building a healthier and talented nation. He called upon the small, marginal farmers and common people for enhancing cultivation of the high- priced and quick-growing fruits in homesteads to meet nutritional demand and also to earn extra money and change fortune.
