MANIKGANJ, April 22, 2021 (BSS) – The cultivation of lemon has brought smiles on the faces of more than three hundred families of Baliakhora village under Baliakhora union of Ghior upazila in the district.
Now a good number of lemon traders are visiting the village regularly for buying lemon from the cultivators and supplying those to the different parts of the country.
Generally, lemon is cultivated in all seven upazilas of the district. But lemon is cultivated commercially in some parts of the district. Ghior upazila is one of the special areas where lemon is cultivated abundantly. It is one of the main cash crops in the area. Each and every house has at least one lemon garden. Most of the housewives of the village are engaged in nursing the lemon plants and collecting the lemon from their gardens.
Akkas uddin, 40, one of the lemon cultivators of Balikhora village said he has been cultivating lemon in two bighas of land for more than ten years. Sometimes he has to count huge losses if the lemon market falls, but now he and other lemon cultivators are very happy to get the maximum price as it is the holy month of Ramadan and lemon is a part of the iftar item.
He said normally a big size of lemon is sold at Tk 2-3 and middle size lemon is sold at Tk 1.5-2. But a big size lemon is being sold at Tk. 10-12 and a middle size lemon is sold at Tk 3-4 adding that it has a great demand in the markets.
Helal Uddin, 50, another lemon cultivator of the same village said he has only one bigha of land and he cultivates lemon regularly on his land and it is the only source of his income. Most of the people of the village have at least one lemon garden and some of the more than one.
Shamsuddin, a middle-aged primary school teacher of the village said, now our village is known as “Lemon Village”.
In the morning a group of lemon traders regularly visit the village in search of lemon. So, there is no problem selling the lemon. Even a housewife can sell her products from her door steps.
Ghior upazila agriculture officer Sheikh Shimul Hossain said the people of Baliakhora and Shdghata become self-reliant cultivating lemon as it has a great demand round the year.
Chairman of Baliakhora union Abdul Awal Khan said Balikhora is a village of 300 families and most of the family has a lemon garden which is the main income source of the families.