Popular drinking beverage coffee is cultivated on the flat land of Chatmohar in Pabna. At one time, coffee was cultivated in three hill districts of the country but now coffee cultivation has started in Pabna, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Tangail district. Despite the huge demand, this country has not producing enough coffee to fulfill the local demand. Thus, the government has undertaken almond and coffee research development and expansion projects through the Ministry of Agriculture to expand coffee cultivation. Under this project, two exhibitions have been set up at Baruria village of Haripur union and Mulgram union of Chatmohar. Upazila Agriculture Office Chatmohar Pabna is implementing two projects. Apart from this, coffee cultivation has been started at private level and in Chatmohar upazila.
Shukur Ali, a contractor from Ramchandrapur village in Gunaigachha union of Chatmohar, has started coffee cultivation in his house on his own initiative. Shukur Ali said, “Several years ago, I was working on the construction of a church at the Christian Missionary in Syedpur. The Italian mother there brought me two coffee seedlings from Italy. I plant it in my house. After three years, I started getting results. The tree bears flowers in the winter season. When it ripens after eight months, I collect fruits from the tree. We have been able to produce 20 saplings in 2016, 70 in 2019 and 150 in 2020. Fruits can be collected from the coffee tree after three years of planting. I took some saplings to Dhaka and sold them for Tk one thousand each. I am selling each sapling in the area for Tk five hundred. I think the climate of our country is very favorable for coffee cultivation. If anyone wants to plant a coffee garden, I'm helping them. I believe that coffee cultivation is a very promising issue in our country. ”
He added that the coffee tree bears small green fruits in bunches. When the fruits ripen, they take on the color of ripe berries.
Abul Hossain, a farmer from Baruria village in Chatmohar, has started coffee cultivation under the project. He said, “This is the first time I am cultivating coffee. The Upazila Agriculture Office has provided saplings and fertilizers. For the time being I have planted saplings by clearing the space in the yellow land. I don't know how to collect coffee. I am cultivating coffee experimentally. ”
According to the Horticulture Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension, the country produces about 55.75 tons of coffee in 118.3 hectares of land in the fiscal year 2019-2020. Farmers cultivate coffee in the traditional way and get less yield and profit. In the fiscal year 2019-2020, 32.517 tons of green coffee was imported. The government is trying to expand coffee cultivation to reduce the dependence on cash crops.
Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer AA Masum Billah said the soil of Bangladesh is suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee is best grown in light, light soils rich in organic matter. It is good on high ground. Papaya, pineapple and black pepper can be grown as intercrop with coffee. Coffee is good in light shaded places. It does not require much care.
