Our Correspondent :
Garden owners are frustrated that lychee pods have fallen in Ishwardi, the capital city of litchi harvesting in Bangladesh. The temperature in Ishwardi has been fluctuating between 38-40 degrees Celsius for the last few days. No rain. Due to the intensity of the drought and hostile weather, litchi pods are falling at an alarming rate. In this situation, the litchi farmers have lost their way. Ishwardi’s delicious Bombay litchi continues to play an important role in meeting the demand of the entire country. Therefore, it is very important for the government to take initiative to prevent climate change in litchi cultivation. In this situation, the farmers demanded immediate setting up of litchi laboratory at Ishwardi.
Although litchi is cultivated in all areas of Ishwardi, litchi cultivation is significant in Sahapur, Awtapara, Bansherbadha, Joynagar, Maniknagar and Mirkamari Sheikh’s Dair areas. Visiting the garden on Tuesday, it was seen that the famous Bombay litchi pods and buds were falling from the trees. And a few days later, Ishwardi’s litchi garden is about to turn red. But this time, in the face of depressing weather, the colorful dreams of litchi growers are being ruined.
Due to the impact of climate change, the yield of lychees, especially of Bombay variety, is expected to be less than 70 per cent this time. The Bombay litchi usually blooms at the end of January and the beginning of February. But this time from mid-January onwards the sudden onset of winter has reduced the buds to less germination and more leaf germination. Thus, the farmers involved in litchi cultivation were spending their days in extreme despair for fear of low yield of litchi. Now there is a fear that the farmers will be paralyzed due to the fall of litchi pods due to severe drought.
Abdul Jalil Kitab Mandal, a national medal-winning litchi farmer, said the pods were falling off after the buds sprouted due to high temperatures.
The farmers are extremely disappointed. This is because it is difficult for the farmers to run their family all year round if litchi is planted seasonally, if litchi does not come to the tree or if it falls due to natural calamity. In this situation, it is very important to set up a litchi laboratory in Ishwardi, he said.
Moyez Uddin, president of Krishak Unnayan Society, said that with the rate at which litchi cultivation is increasing in Ishwardi, it is possible to export litchi here by meeting the demand of the country. Research is needed to catch litchis in every tree every year. It is not impossible. Because researchers from neighboring India have been successful. A litchi laboratory in Ishwardi is needed for this. We have been demanding for a long time from Soccer to set up a litchi laboratory in Ishwardi. But our demand is not being implemented.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Ishwardi litchi growers, the production of litchi worth four to five hundred crore rupees per year is only in Ishwardi. Ishwardi Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Latif said that this time, litchi has been planted in about three thousand hectares of land in Ishwardi this year. But in hostile weather, most of the trees did not have litchi buds. Now the farmers are worried because of the falling of litchi pods in the intense heat.
