BSS, Rangpur :
Thousands of farmers and common people have changed fortune through commercial cultivation of high-priced and quick growing as well as local variety fruits in the northern region in recent years.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and NGO
sources, farming of fruits has been expanding fast mostly through private initiatives, integrated approaches and government assistance bringing a silent revolution in the rural economy.
More than 32,000 families including small and marginal farmers, poor and distressed people have achieved self-reliance so far by cultivating different high-priced and quick growing fruits in their cultivable lands, homesteads, fallow lands and other places.
The motivational activities, supports and latest technologies being provided by the DAE, other agri-departments and NGOs proved to be effective in achieving the success through expanded cultivation of fruits during the past seven years.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said many families have achieved self-reliance through farming quick growing and cross-variety fruits like orange, grape, banana, ‘bau kul’, ‘apple kul’, ‘coconut kul’, papaya, lemon, strawberry, water melon, wax apple, ‘panifal’, ‘amloki’, guava and many other variety fruits.
According to the markets sources, the newly harvested ‘bau kul’, ‘apple kul’, ‘coconut kul’ and other varieties of the high-valued and quick growing fruits have appeared in the local markets with excellent price and the other varieties will appear soon.
Fruit growers Sattar Ali, Abdus Sabur, Kamrun Nahar, Kalipado Roy and Rezaul Karim said the common people are meeting nutritional demands through producing fruits around their homesteads as market price of fruits are going beyond their reach.
Talking to BSS, the fruits traders said the rich can buy fruits to meet demand of vitamins, minerals and nutrition while the poor have been producing those for the same purpose as well as earning excellent profit to change their fortune and lead better life.
Nursery owners Abdur Rahim, Kajol Hossain, Shafiqul Islam and Shachindra Nath said they are earning good profits by selling saplings of high- valued and quick growing fruits along with wood, medicinal and other tree saplings from their nurseries.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said the government continues providing assistance for expanding fruit farming that has already become a profitable venture changing lots of many people everywhere.
Regional Acting Additional Director of DAE SM Ashraf Ali also predicted brighter prospect for expanded cultivation of high-valued, quick-growing and traditional fruits in the homesteads in boosting rural economy under the ‘One House, One Farm’ programme.
He called upon the small, marginal farmers and common people for enhancing cultivation of the high- priced and quick-growing fruits in their orchards as well as homesteads to meet nutritional demand and earn extra money to change fortune.
Thousands of farmers and common people have changed fortune through commercial cultivation of high-priced and quick growing as well as local variety fruits in the northern region in recent years.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and NGO
sources, farming of fruits has been expanding fast mostly through private initiatives, integrated approaches and government assistance bringing a silent revolution in the rural economy.
More than 32,000 families including small and marginal farmers, poor and distressed people have achieved self-reliance so far by cultivating different high-priced and quick growing fruits in their cultivable lands, homesteads, fallow lands and other places.
The motivational activities, supports and latest technologies being provided by the DAE, other agri-departments and NGOs proved to be effective in achieving the success through expanded cultivation of fruits during the past seven years.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said many families have achieved self-reliance through farming quick growing and cross-variety fruits like orange, grape, banana, ‘bau kul’, ‘apple kul’, ‘coconut kul’, papaya, lemon, strawberry, water melon, wax apple, ‘panifal’, ‘amloki’, guava and many other variety fruits.
According to the markets sources, the newly harvested ‘bau kul’, ‘apple kul’, ‘coconut kul’ and other varieties of the high-valued and quick growing fruits have appeared in the local markets with excellent price and the other varieties will appear soon.
Fruit growers Sattar Ali, Abdus Sabur, Kamrun Nahar, Kalipado Roy and Rezaul Karim said the common people are meeting nutritional demands through producing fruits around their homesteads as market price of fruits are going beyond their reach.
Talking to BSS, the fruits traders said the rich can buy fruits to meet demand of vitamins, minerals and nutrition while the poor have been producing those for the same purpose as well as earning excellent profit to change their fortune and lead better life.
Nursery owners Abdur Rahim, Kajol Hossain, Shafiqul Islam and Shachindra Nath said they are earning good profits by selling saplings of high- valued and quick growing fruits along with wood, medicinal and other tree saplings from their nurseries.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said the government continues providing assistance for expanding fruit farming that has already become a profitable venture changing lots of many people everywhere.
Regional Acting Additional Director of DAE SM Ashraf Ali also predicted brighter prospect for expanded cultivation of high-valued, quick-growing and traditional fruits in the homesteads in boosting rural economy under the ‘One House, One Farm’ programme.
He called upon the small, marginal farmers and common people for enhancing cultivation of the high- priced and quick-growing fruits in their orchards as well as homesteads to meet nutritional demand and earn extra money to change fortune.
