Farmers in north see silent revolution in litchi farming

https://www.newagebd.com/2010/mar/26/home.html

Litchi makes many growers self-reliant

 Newage, 26.03.2010
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Rangpur

A silent revolution has taken place in litchi farming as hundreds of farmers achieved their economic self- reliance through cultivating the most delicious, juicy and fleshy seasonal fruit in recent years throughout northern Bangladesh.
   The farmers as well as experts and officials are expecting a super bumper litchi production in the region including greater Rangpur and Dinajpur following favorable climatic conditions this season.
   According to officials in the Department of Agriculture Extension, the common people and farmers have been cultivating high yielding and hybrid variety litchi on more land in recent years following repeated bumper production and excellent market prices.
   The litchi farming has been gaining popularity consistently as a cash crop in all areas of the region with excellent marketing facilities though the quality litchis were being produced mainly in the Barind areas and Dinajpur even a decade ago.
   Presently, hundreds of litchi orchards have been set up and the commoners cultivated litchi in their homesteads in Dinajpur, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Bogra, Pabna and Sirajganj districts.
   Because of its repeated bumper productions and excellent market prices with huge demands, expanded and commercial farming of litchi could bring fortunes to hundreds of the more enthusiastic farmers in the region in coming years, experts said.
   Agriculturists Kamal Shariful Alam and Nur Mohammad told BSS that litchi production would be better side by side with mango in the region this season as the climatic conditions are better for litchi farming and mangoes.
   ‘Over 95 per cent of trees have been bloomed and tender litchis are now being formed in all eight districts of greater Rangpur and Dinajpur as elsewhere in the region and the fruits might start arriving in the markets from May next,’ they added.
   According to available sources, there are nearly 70 million litchi trees in 7,500 small, medium and big-sized litchi orchards on over 4,000 hectares land and homesteads in the region to produce plenty of litchi this season.
   Commercial litchi farming has been expanding fast in Sadar, Kaharol, Biral, Birampur, Fulbari, Chirirbandar and Birganj upazilas in Dinajpur and nearby Badarganj, Pirganj, Mithapukur, Sadar upazilas of Rangpur, Pirganj upazila of Thakurgaon in recent years.
   According to the experts, presently there are over 30 million litchi trees in 4,000 different size litchi orchards in about 1,500 hectares land and in most of the homesteads in all 13 upazilas of Dinajpur district alone.
   The farmers are cultivating the Madrazi and Bombay varieties of litchi on about 70 per cent land and the rest varieties like Bedana, China-3, Golapi, Mozaffar and others are being cultivated in the other 30 percent areas, they added.
   Many of the litchi orchards have already been sold to the traders in advance and their appointed people have already started looking after those that will continue till end of the
   harvest in June.
   ‘If the things go well, a super bumper production of all variety litchis is likely and a minimum of Tk 3,500 crore litchi businesses will be made this year in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur alone,’ the experts and market sources said.
   The experts told BSS that adequately favorable climatic conditions including early departure of the winter resulted in massive litchi budding and the recent sunny weather helped better flowering amid no hailstorms and tornadoes so far.