Litchi Farmers expecting good profits

Despite experiencing drought and heat waves, the Horticulture Wing of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) anticipates a new record in mango production for the fiscal year 2022-23. The country's mango production is expected to reach approximately 25.5 lakh metric tonnes, surpassing the previous year's 23.5 lakh tonnes.

The vegetable farmers in Manikganj have adopted mulching, an environmentally friendly and profitable agricultural practice. By employing mulching, these farmers have achieved double yields and favorable market prices for their vegetables. Mulching involves covering plant roots, vegetable fields, and garden beds with various materials to create a protective layer that is free from toxins found in imported vegetables. The use of plastic mulching has gained popularity with the modernization of agriculture.

The market is waiting for the arrival of Bombay Litchi in Pabna's Ishwardi Hat. Despite a lower yield, litchi farmers and traders are pleased with the good prices they are receiving. Wholesale traders from various districts, including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal, and Chittagong, are purchasing litchis in truckloads. Upazila Agriculture Officer anticipates sales of around 5.25 billion taka this season.

Farmers have reduced their sugarcane cultivation due to low prices. They used to cultivate sugarcane on larger areas of land but have now switched to alternative crops. The declining prices and poor quality seeds provided by government sugar mills have led to dissatisfaction among farmers, prompting them to decrease sugarcane cultivation each year. Farmers complain that while the price of sugar has significantly increased in the last decade, the price of sugarcane has not kept pace. Consequently, many farmers have shifted to more profitable crops, and those still in sugarcane cultivation are selling it at higher prices to molasses manufacturers.

Poor families living in char villages in Sadar, Raipura, and Belabo upazilas have improved their lives by raising ducks. These villages are home to mainly impoverished individuals who lost everything to river erosion. However, a couple of years ago, they started rearing ducks with the aim of changing their economic condition. Each family has an average of 50 ducks, earning around Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 per month by selling eggs and ducks. Some farmers now earns over Tk 7,000 monthly by collecting 35 to 40 eggs daily.

Farmers in Rangpur agriculture region are happy because they got a lot of vegetables this season and sold them at good prices. They sold the vegetables at prices between Tk 35 and 100 per kg to local middlemen and wholesalers, who then sold them at higher rates between Tk 45 and 120 per kg to retailers. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the farmers produced 4,89,044 tonnes of vegetables, which was less than their target due to crop diversification.