ZCZC
BSS-09
FRUITS-ECONOMY-NUTRITION (with picture)
Fruits worth Taka 1,227 crore produced in Rangpur region
RANGPUR, Feb 09, 2019 (BSS) – The farmers produced over 4.50-lakh tonnes of
fruits worth Taka 1,227 crore during the last 2017-2018 fiscal in Rangpur
agriculture region to achieve self-reliance after meeting nourishment.
Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)
Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said farmers are expanding fruit cultivation every
year getting repeated bumper production and lucrative price in recent years.
“Some 41,500 farmers and common people have achieved self-reliance through
fruit cultivation that has become a profitable agricultural venture in the
region in last ten years,” he said.
During the 2017-2018 fiscal, farmers cultivated 42 varieties of high-
priced, quick growing, high yielding, hybrid and indigenous varieties of
fruits on 24,805 hectares of land in the region and produced 4.50- lakh
tonnes worth Taka 1,227 crore.
“Of them, farmers produced 83,764 tonnes of mango worth Taka 335 crore,
1.02-lakh tonnes of jackfruit worth Taka 51.20 crore and 14,848 tonnes of
litchi worth Taka 148.50 crore and 17,188 tonnes of guava worth Taka 86
crore,” he said.
The farmers also produced 1.39-lakh tonnes of banana worth Taka 111.50
crore, 5,925 tonnes of ‘jujube’ worth Taka 30 crore, 18,280 tonnes of papaya
worth Taka 22 crore and 11,659 tonnes of coconut worth Taka 30 crore.
“Besides, they produced 32,685 tonnes of betel nut worth Taka 326 crore and
24,101 tonnes of 34 other varieties of fruits worth Taka 86.80 crore during
the 2017-2018 fiscal in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region,”
Islam added.
The farmers produced 1.15-lakh tonnes of more fruits worth Taka 292 crore
during the 2017-2018 fiscal than their production of 3.35-lakh tonnes of
fruits worth Taka 934 crore from 24,251 hectares of land during the previous
2016-2017 fiscal in the region.
“The commercial basis cultivation of fruits is expanding every year in the
region as farmers are getting repeated bumper yield to earn huge profits in
recent years,” Islam added.
“The overall production of fruits might be around five lakh tonnes worth
Taka 1,300 crore during the current 2018-2019 fiscal following expanded
cultivation in the region,” he predicted.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md
Moniruzzaman said farmers are expanding fruit cultivation on orchards and
homesteads in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Nilphamari
districts of the region.
The DAE and other agriculture related organisations are assisting farmers
and commoners in expanding fruit cultivation to achieve self-reliance and
improve their nutritional status on the way to build a healthier nation.
“The farmers are mostly cultivating mango, litchi, banana, jackfruit,
papaya, ‘lotkon’, coconut, water melon, jujube, jackfruit, black berry,
orange, ‘Malta’, lemon, strawberry, olive, wood apple, guava, ‘bangi’,
‘amloki’ and many other fruits,” Moniruzzaman added.
Farmers Mofazzal Hossain, Isahaque Ali and Mostafizur Rahman of different
villages in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur said they achieved self-reliance by
cultivating highly profitable ‘Haribhanga’ variety mango in last 10 years.
Fruit growers Abdus Sattar, Mariyam Begum and Abdul Karim of Syedpur
upazila in Nilphamari said they achieved self-reliance by farming high-
priced, quick-growing and traditional varieties of fruits like many others in
recent years.
Abdul Ohid Sheikh, owner of ‘Nasim Nursery’ of village Horkoli in Rangpur
Sadar upazila said he earns well by selling his produced saplings of many
varieties of mango, litchi and other varieties of fruits every year.
Similarly, nursery businessmen Abdul Wahab and Karim Uddin of different
areas said are earning better profits by selling saplings of the traditional,
high-valued and quick growing and other varieties of fruits from their
nurseries every year.
Civil Surgeon of Rangpur Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said extent of
malnutrition related diseases significantly reduced following improvement in
nutritional status of common people as a result of increasing production and
consumption of fruits.
BSS/SPL/MI/MSY/1445 hrs