by Mintu Deshwara, The Daily Star
Indigenous farmers have achieved bumper production of pineapple at 30 villages in Srimangal upazila of the district this season.
Locals said the juicy and delicious fruit has always been growing abundantly in the area, which is known as ‘pineapple village.’
Growers said they have been cultivating different kinds of fruits, including pineapple, at Tipracherra, Jerin, Harincherra, Biddabeel, Alubari, Kalacherra, Fulcherra, Longlia, Modonmohonpur, Sisilbar, Kanlenji villages since the Pakistan period.
Growers did not make profit out of pineapple cultivation at that time. The situation has changed now and farmers are cultivating it on a large scale and in a planned way. Locally grown pineapple has a great demand outside the district, they said.
About 300 hectares of land of around 2,000 farmers have been brought under pineapple farming this year. The village has about 30 orchards where 400,000 pineapple plants were grown, said locals.
Mohan Debborma, a pineapple cultivator, said his late father had started cultivation of different fruits, mostly pineapple, on 300 bighas of land in 1965. “I sold pineapples worth about Tk two lakh (USD 2,587) this season,” he said.
Another cultivator, Dilip Nayek, said he cultivated about 2,500 pineapple plants on his three bighas of land this year. He said he was happy as the production is satisfactory.
Local sources said that traders from outside the district are coming to the village everyday to buy pineapple.
At present, pineapple is being sold between Tk 2,300 (USD 29.75) and Tk 3,000 (USD 38.81) per 100-piece in the wholesale market in Srimangal Puran Bazaar.
Contacted, Srimangal upazila agriculture officer Sukolpo Das said pineapple has been cultivated on a large scale at 30 villages in the upazila since long. Four thousand tons were produced this season, he added.
Though small in size, the locally produced pineapple is very tasty he said, adding that the Department of Agriculture Extension provided necessary assistance to the growers to make pineapple cultivation a success.
Source: The Daily Star