Jhenaidah Correspondent :
Least production and low price of the seasonal fruit jackfruit has disheartened the farmers in Jhenaidah in the current season.
They are not in a position to recover even fifty percent of the money as against past years. The trend might discourage the farmers transplanting more saplings of the jackfruit in near future, said the farmers.
To avoid loss or receive more money, the farmers have been leaning towards lichi, guava and mango farming, the farmers said.
Huzur Ali, a farmer of village Gobindapur and Amjad Hossain of Devtala village under Sailkupa upazila said, they received at least 100 fruits from each of the jackfruit plant last year, while the number of fruit was not over 50 this season. Further the price was almost 25 per cent least than the past years.
Farmers Huzur Ali and Amjad Hossain said, the least price of the national fruit has discouraged the farmers like him. A medium size of the fruit was sold at Taka 55 to 70 last year, while the same has been selling at taka 45 to 50 in the market now a days.
They said, to receive more money their farmers in the district have been leaning towards mango, lichi and guava farming as the fruits ensure cash for the farmers.
According to the office sources of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, the farmers brought a total of 1,130 hectares of land under the jackfruit farming in the current season from where they have been expecting 21 tones of the fruit from each hectares.
The farmers produced a total of 2,300 tones of jackfruit in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Sailkupa and Harinakundu upazila in the district.
Least production and low price of the seasonal fruit jackfruit has disheartened the farmers in Jhenaidah in the current season.
They are not in a position to recover even fifty percent of the money as against past years. The trend might discourage the farmers transplanting more saplings of the jackfruit in near future, said the farmers.
To avoid loss or receive more money, the farmers have been leaning towards lichi, guava and mango farming, the farmers said.
Huzur Ali, a farmer of village Gobindapur and Amjad Hossain of Devtala village under Sailkupa upazila said, they received at least 100 fruits from each of the jackfruit plant last year, while the number of fruit was not over 50 this season. Further the price was almost 25 per cent least than the past years.
Farmers Huzur Ali and Amjad Hossain said, the least price of the national fruit has discouraged the farmers like him. A medium size of the fruit was sold at Taka 55 to 70 last year, while the same has been selling at taka 45 to 50 in the market now a days.
They said, to receive more money their farmers in the district have been leaning towards mango, lichi and guava farming as the fruits ensure cash for the farmers.
According to the office sources of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, the farmers brought a total of 1,130 hectares of land under the jackfruit farming in the current season from where they have been expecting 21 tones of the fruit from each hectares.
The farmers produced a total of 2,300 tones of jackfruit in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Sailkupa and Harinakundu upazila in the district.
The production might fall to 60m per cent in the current season.
Least rainfall during the flowering stage of the fruit, want of proper caring and management of the plants and increasing trend of mango, lichi and guava were mainly liable for decreasing the jackfruit farming tendency among the farmers, the DAE sources said.
Upazila agriculture officer of the DAE in Jhenaidah Khan Mohammad Maniruzzaman said, the farmers usually consider the immediate profit of their crops. They will always lean towards profitable and cash crop farming for their survival.
The field level staffs of the department were advised to stand by the farmers so that they themselves can decide what type of crops they would prefer for their betterment.
