Prolonged drought and heatwave affected the jackfruit production in Jhenaidah.
The change in climate impacts the production of the seasonal fruit, said the officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah.
Farmer Alauddin Sheikh of Kalicharanpur village in Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila said he has been witnessing least bearing of jackfruit for last couple of weeks in his orchard. He feared 50 percent less yield this year than the last year.
Another farmer of the area, Nanda Dulal, expressed the same opinion following the yield of jackfruit. He said large jackfruit plants could not offer adequate number of fruits in the season and the size is also not optimum.
Deputy director’s office of the DAE Jhenaidah Khamarbari sources said, a total of 374 hectares of land was used for jackfruit farming in the district, of which the Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila farmers brought their 140 hectares in the last season. The farmers might harvest at least 12,500 tonnes of the fruit in the current season if there was major natural calamity during the season, the DAE sources said.
Sashti Chandra Roy, Deputy Director of the DAE in Jhenaidah Khamarbari said the number of bearing of the jackfruit in the current season might be decreased due unfavorable climate including prolonged severe drought. Moreover, the jackfruit is almost an alternative-season fruit which might not offer adequate yield in every season. In these cases, although the number of bearings was least, the size of the fruit might be larger comparative to past seasons.
The DAE official also said they had advised the farmers or the owners of fruit bearing tress to take care of the plants to protect them from the excessive heat and to water around the plants during the summer.
He was hopeful of making the jackfruit farming profitable for the farmers taking proper care.
