Pomegranate cultivation has been increasing in 4 upazilas of Chuadanga district under the auspices of educated youths and farmers from 2015 to up to date in basis of commercial.
About 30 educated youths and farmers in the district are now engaged themselves to cultivate Pomegranate on 70 hectares of land this year and bearing their families by making profit. But one youth named Saddam Hossain of village Rangiarputa in Sadar upazila started the Pomegranate cultivation in 2015. Of the total Pomegranate growers, Mokkaram Hossain of village Rangiarputa in Sadar upazila and Saddam Hossain of village Raypur in Jibannagar upazila in the district are known to all as good producers of Pomegranate, sources added.
Mokkaram Hossain started Pomegranate cultivation since 2015 at village Rangiarputa in Pomegranate upazila of Chuadanga district at first phase. This fruit has been produced commercially. Fruit production and marketing began from 2017 in the month of January and February. Buyers of different areas came to purchase the fruit from the orchard.
At the beginning year he expanded tk. 5,00,000 for cultivation of 5 bighas of land and tk. 3,00,000 in 2016. He sold the produced fruits at tk. 20,00,000 in 2017. But this year in June, July, August he produced 16,000 kgs of fruits and sold it at tk 32,00,000.
Earlier, many farmers failed after cultivating this fruit several times. But Mokarram Hossain of village Rangiraputa in the upazila of the district has succeeded in cultivating the foreign fruit. Pomegranate garden has already been filled with flowers and fruits. Commercially the fruit sales are going on from the garden.Pomegranate growerMokarram Hossain said, ` Pomegranate is originally a breed of India. I am interested to see the qualities of this breed through YouTube. Then I contacted an agricultural firm in India.
I started the garden as per their suggestion. I planted 1000 pieces of saplings on 5 bighas of land. Out of this, 800 trees started producing fruits.’
Saddam Hossain, another Pomegranate grower of village Raypur in Jibannagar upazila of the district has been taken under Pomegranate cultivation on 3 bighas of land at his village. About 7,500 kgs of Pomegranate has been sold to different customers at tk. 15,00,000 as his profit has made at tk. 12,00,000. He also said, he obtained BSc (agriculture). After leaving private jobs he stared to cultivate different types of fruits’ garden and other gardens from 2010 and began to cultivate Pomegranate from 2018.
It is learnt from District Agriculture Extension Department (DAED), a total of 7 hectares of land has been taken under Pomegranate cultivation in 4 upazilas of Chuadanga district. The upazila wise breaks up are-2 hectares in Sadar Upazila, 2 hectares of land in Alamdanga upazila, 2 hectares of land in Damurhuda upazila and 1 hectare of Jibannagar upazila.
DAED sources added, three times (January-February-March, June-July-August and November-December) are to harvest in a year that’s why about 70 metric tons of Pomegranate are being produced per time. At least 30 educated entrepreneurs are engaged to produce Pomegranate in the district. They have set up Pomegranate garden as commercially. Pomegranate cultivation has been started in the district in 2015.
According to Shahin Rabby, a sub assistant agriculture officer said, the soil and weather conditions in Bangladesh were quite difficult for bringing up the fruit. In this case, several technologies are being used for cultivation of Pomegranate . Anyhow, commercially the fruit cultivation has also been started in Chuadanga.
It is learnt, many people from different parts of the country gather in the garden and after seeing they are inspiring for cultivation the fruit.
Rofiqul Islam of village Ramnagar in Damurhuda upazila, told this correspondent, `I heard the story of the success of Pomegranate garden from the people of the areas. I came to see the garden out of that interest. Such success in the sector it inspires me.’
Chuadanga Agriculture Extension Department Deputy Director Bivas Chandra Saha told this correspondent, the agriculture department is hoping that educated youths and farmers will inspire to cultivate Pomegranate fruit. Those who are setting up Pomegranate garden, the officials of agriculture have been providing technical and methodical suggestion to Pomegranate growers directly. If the entrepreneurship of the Pomegranate garden going into commercial production is 100 per cent successful, import of the fruit will be reduced in the areas. At the same time, the purchase price will also be within the reach of the consumer.
