Commercial banana farming gains ground in Rajshahi

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RAJSHAHI, March 22, 2019 (BSS)-With grassroots farers reaping a sound
profit, commercial farming of banana has been gaining ground in the region
including its vast Barind tract.

Currently, the banana is being adjudged as one of the cash crops here.
Though the farmers were dissatisfied over market price of the crop last year
they are very happy this year with the sale proceeds.

Mijanur Rahman, a farmer of Duary village under Paba upazila, said farmers
are deriving a higher benefit from banana farming than any other crop. So,
its farming is increasing side by side with other crops.

Farmers cultivate varieties of banana like Anupam, Champa, Meher Sagar and
Manik commercially as they can harvest these varieties within a lesser time.

Sanwar Hossain, another banana farmer of Mohanpur, said banana cultivation
was further profitable than any other plantation.

Moreover, when the trees are small in size, some other crops can be
cultivated on the same land as companion crops. The demand of banana remained
the same all through the year and the price is also satisfactory.

Monjurul Haque, district training officer of Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE), said banana is cultivated on comparatively high lands, free
of waterlogging.

Farmers in Bagmara, Tanore, Mohanpur, Durgapur and Paba upazilas dig ponds
in their fields and cultivate banana on the enclosure of those ponds.

He said this year banana was cultivated on more than 8,000 bighas of land
than that of the last year. He said 300 to 350 banana plants can be
transplanted on a bigha of land and it costs Tk 23,000 to Tk 25,000.

There was no problem in selling banana because the whole sale traders
purchased those from the field.

At present, a huge supply of banana is seen in the markets of Baneswar,
Jhalmolia of Puthia upazila, Mollapara and Baya of Paba upazila, Mougacchi
and Keshorhat of Mohanpur upazilas. But Puthia upazila was topping the list
in cultivating banana.

Agriculturist Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, said banana
cultivation is profitable. A good number of farmers in the district show
their interest in banana production.

Meanwhile, fruit bagging banana farming has been started here for the
first time in order to make the cash crop farming hygienic and profitable.

On a limited scale, Sujammel Haque and some of his fellows of neighbouring
Birhasthail village under Paba upazila began banana farming in fruit bagging
technology this year commercially. Sujammel earned extra money from mango
farming through using the modern technology.

Dr Alim Uddin, principal scientific officer of Fruit Research Station in
Rajshahi, said banana is one of the commercially important fruit crops in the
region, but the important cash crop is prone to attacks of insect pests and
diseases in all stages of development.

He told BSS that banana is one of the best fruits in Bangladesh. It’s
tasty, easy accessible and nutritive. Fruit bagging technology is being
widely used in commercial banana farming in many countries like the
Philippines and Thailand.

The country produces around 77.5 lakh metric tonnes of banana from 46,734
hectares of land every year. Rajshahi district contributes 35,000 metric
tonnes from around 2,000 hectares of land.

He opined that there are enormous scopes of promoting the technology in
Rajshahi region and across the country as well. Diversified research
activities are being carried out for production of best quality and spotless
banana, he added.