The litchi growers are now happy following excellent production and lucrative price of the most delicious, juicy and fleshy seasonal fruit that has already appeared in local markets of the northern districts. Though harvest of the high quality hybrid variety litchis will start after a couple of weeks, the ripe and half-ripe local varieties and some high yielding litchis have already started flooding the local markets with price beyond the reach of the commoners. At this initial stage of harvesting, the local variety small-sized litchis are being sold at rates between Taka 200 and 300 per every hundred pieces and the half-ripe and ripe high yielding varieties at rates between Taka 350 and 400, market sources said.
Meanwhile, the bigger litchi traders or their representatives from different parts of the country have already flocked to the region and purchased the fruit in advance from the orchard owners like in the previous seasons.
Huge activities have been started creating job opportunities in harvesting, packaging and marketing of litchi everywhere now in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Gaibandha, Panchagarh and other northern districts.
Harvest of the high yielding and hybrid variety litchis like Madrazi, Bombay, Bedana, China-3, Golapi and Mozaffar will start little later this month or in the first week of the next month this season.
Experts, farmers and businessmen predicted a record business of around Taka 4,000 crore on the most delicious, juicy and fleshy seasonal fruits of litchis in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts alone this season. Renowned agriculture scientist Dr M A Mazid and Agronomist Anarul Haque predicted a bumper production of litchi in the region including greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts this season.
They said litchi farming has already brought a silent economic revolution as hundreds of farmers achieved self-reliance through cultivating the most tasty and lucrative seasonal fruit on commercial basis in recent years in northern Bangladesh.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials, litchi farming gains popularity consistently with excellent marketing facilities though the quality litchis were being produced mainly in the Barind areas and Dinajpur even a decade ago.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said over 85 percent of the litchi trees in about 9,000 small, medium and big-sized litchi orchards and homesteads bloomed massively earlier this season.
Presently, hundreds of litchi orchards have been set up on commercial basis in Dinajpur, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and other northern districts
The farmers have mostly been cultivating high yielding varieties like China-3 and Bedana, early varieties like Bombay, Mozaffarpuri and Madrazi and late variety Kanthali litchi following repeated bumper production and lucrative price every year.
Litchi growers Shamsul Haque, Abdur Rahman, Harunur Rashid, Aminul Haque, Abdus Sobhan and Jomshed Ali said they are expecting bumper litchi yield this time like in the previous seasons to earn excellent profits.
Farmers Lokman Hossain, Abul Kalam, Abu Hossain, Mahbub Ali, Kafil Uddin, Abdus Samad and Nazrul Islam hoped bumper harvest of their high yielding and hybrid variety litchi to earn better profits this year.
Deputy Director of the DAE Zulfiquer Haider predicted bumper litchi production and said that the farmers have boosted commercial basis litchi cultivation in their orchards following repeated bumper production with excellent price in recent years.
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