RANGPUR, Apr 12, 2019 (BSS) – The farmers are happy over excellent growth
of tender litchi and expecting a plentiful production of the fruit with
better profits in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this
season.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said
outstanding blossoming in litchi trees followed by smooth formation of tender
fruit amid favourable climatic conditions has made farmers hopeful of reaping
huge profits this time.
They said over 95 percent of litchi trees in small, medium and big-sized
litchi orchards and homesteads on about 1,750 hectares of land have bloomed
massively this season in the region.
Talking to BSS, bigger litchi grower Hasanul Haque of village Balapara
Dilalpur in Badarganj upazila here said he has been cultivating litchi on
commercial basis on his orchard for the past 12 years and never incurred any
loss.
“I have cultivated Madrazi and China-3 varieties of litchi in my orchard
on three acres of land and tender fruits are growing superbly at this fruit
setting period this season,” he said.
Farmers Ekramul Haque of the same village and Shahidul Haque of nearby
village Balapara have cultivated Madrazi, Bombay and China-3 varieties of
litchi on their orchards of 70 decimals and two acres of land respectively.
They are now busy in nursing their growing tender litchi in their orchards
with a hope to get bumper production of the seasonal fruit this season if the
climatic condition remains favorable during the next five to six months.
At the same time, bee farmers had set up over 200 honey bee boxes in these
three orchards on lease-basis and already produced 1.50 tonnes of pure honey
worth Taka 5.25-lakh this season, the farmers said.
Farmers Abdul Baten and Harish Chandra of village Salaipur in Pairaband union
of Mithapukur upazila here said they have cultivated China-3 and Madrazi
varieties of litchi on their orchards on one acre of land each this time.
Similarly, farmers Abdul Hye and Nurur Rahman of Pirganj and Taraganj
upazilas in Rangpur and Lokman Hossain and Zahid Hossain of Syedpur upazila
in Nilphamari and Kurigram Sadar upazila hoped to get bumper litchi output
this season.
The farmers said litchi farming on orchards has become highly profitable
than many other crops and they generally earn Taka 1.50-lakh to Taka two-lakh
on an average per acre of land annually through litchi cultivation.
Talking to BSS today, Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional
office Agriculturist Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said litchi farming is
expanding every year bringing fortune to many farmers of Rangpur agriculture
region.
Increasing number of farmers are showing keen interests in expanding
litchi farming on commercial basis after getting repeated bumper production
with excellent market price in recent times.
The farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding, hybrid and local
varieties litchi like China-3, ‘Bedana’, Bombay, ‘Mozaffarpuri’, Madrazi and
‘Kanthali’ after getting repeated bumper production and lucrative price in
recent years.
“The farmers have become busy now with agronomic management in litchi
orchards,” he said suggesting them to spray 80 percent Sulphur on litchi
tress if mite attack was found following rise in temperature during fruit
formation stage.
“The farmers can also spray ‘Mentozeb’ or ‘Propikonazole’ as per
recommended dose to prevent powdery nose mildew or anthrax those might attack
young leaves or tender fruits following rise in temperature amid cloudy sky,”
Islam added.
Regional Additional Director of the DAE Agriculturist Md. Shah Alam
expressed satisfaction over smooth fruit formation following excellent
blossoming in litchi trees and predicted bumper production of the fruit this
year in the region.