Banana farmers in Jhenaidah expressing their happiness over the price hike, while the consumers seem unhappy during Ramadan this year. The price was increased to double or more than the same in recent days. At the same time, the price of green banana also went high like other essential commodities during the time.
Upon asking a number of banana farmers at Halidhani weekly Bazer in Jhenaidah Sadar and Bhatai Bazer market, it was revealed that each cluster of banana is being sold at Taka 400 to 500 as against Taka 200 a few weeks back.
Some Abdul Wahed at Bhatai Bazer market when asked said he purchased a cluster of Champa variety banana at Taka 450 which was hardly selling at Taka 200 about two weeks back. The price went higher due to the holly Ramadan. As the mango, litchi, jackfruit, papaya or other seasonal fruits was not available during the Ramadan, the banana price went beyond the reach of commoners. Green banana, meant for vegetables also went high like other essential commodities during the time, he said.
Banana farmer Dabir Uddin of Bittipara under Phulahari union of Shailkupa when contacted at Bhatai Bazer said the Ramadan had helped them getting better price of banana this year when mango, litchi, papaya and other seasonal fruits could not hit the market in Ramadan. People from the Muslim community depends on banana for their Iftari and Sehri, he said.
He was lucky enough for cultivating Champa variety of banana on eight bighas of land. It will provide satisfactory amount of money for him. His produces have a good reputation in the market as he does not apply any chemical fertilizer of pesticides on his banana orchards. Dabir was expecting Taka five lakh from his plots in the season excluding all expenses for bio-fertilizer, irrigation and labour charges, he added.
According to a source related to the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah Khamarbari, the farmers have been cultivating banana on a total of 5,595 hectares of land. They are expecting 1.96 lakh tones of banana at the rate of 34 to 35 tones on each hectare. Upazila-wise banana farming was 1,050 hectares in Jhenaidah Sadar, 200 hectares in Kaliganj, 400 hectares in Kotchandpur, 1,665 hectares in Moheshpur, 1,360 hectares in Shailkupa and remaining 830 hectares in Harinakundu upazila. The farmers produced 201,219 tones of banana on 5,805 hectares in the previous season, DAE sources said.
DAE deputy director in Jhenaidah Khamarbari Asgar Ali when contacted said the farmers have been benefited from the banana in the current season when the seasonal fruits were not available right now.
Although the consumers have been facing troubles more or less, the socio-economic state of the banana producing farmers has been strengthening gradually, deputy director expressed his opinion.
