RAJSHAHI, May 28, 2019 (BSS)- After remarkable success in guava and mango, fruit bagging technology has started gaining popularity in another delicious and tasty fruit litchi in the region for the last couple of years.
Only in Lalpur Upazila, 50,000 mangoes and litchis were brought under the fruit bagging technology this season aims at producing and exporting poison-free and safe fruit commercially.
In last year, Kamruzzaman Lavlu, 46, a farmer of Bijoypur village had attained success after bagging 32,000 mangoes on ten bighas of orchards.
As a result of his success, he bagged 35,000 mangoes and 15,000 litchis on ten bighas of land this year that encourages many of his fellow farmers to adopt the modern technology for producing chemical-free fruit.
Jasim Uddin, a farmer of Matia Beel area under Paba Upazila, has also promoted the bagging technology in a 15-year tree this year as per suggestions of the local office of Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Fruit Research Centre.
Talking to BSS he says yield has been enhanced to a greater extent. He also witnessed bigger size besides deep red colour. He had purchased bag at Taka 3.5 per piece and kept 25 to 30 litchis in each bag. He harvested 4,000 bulbs from the tree last year whereas this year’s yield is more than 6,000. No immature fruit drop was occurred from the tree by storm as a result of using fruit bagging technology that also prevents attacks and damages by rodents contributes a lot to boost yield.
As the fruits were protected inside bag its size and colour was attractive. These litchis are hundred percent chemical free, asserted Jasim Uddin. Detailing his personal experience and expertise he said before expansion among the farmers he used the technology by himself.
Bagged litchis can be preserved in tree 10 to 15 days more than conventional method which is helpful of getting extra market price.
Monzurul Haque, Additional Deputy Director of DAE, says the farmers are being habituated to using the modern technology. He added that many of the farmers attained success through using bagging technology.
DAE will replicate the success in the years ahead, Agriculturist Haque added.
Dr Alim Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station, said fruit bagging technology is used in litchi production only in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna, but now more other farmers will be inspired to use the technology witnessing success of the farmers in this regard.
He says there are huge litchi orchards of different ages and varieties on some two lakh hectares in the region. Recent years, many more new orchards also developed. If the bags were used substantially, use of harmful chemical insecticides and pesticides could be reduced to a greater extent.
Bagged fruits had high recovery of marketable fruits over the non-bagged ones. Dr Alim adds pre-harvest fruit bagging is a useful approach for plant protection and improved post-harvest fruit quality as bagging of litchi for lower insect and disease damage in fruits.
In this field, the technology has created a high hope among the growers and traders towards removing the menace. If the technology was used, there will be no spot on litchi in the bagged ones.
Besides, the fruit could be protected from all kinds of diseases and pests that will boost the volume of exportable litchi.
Apart from this, as the market price of the bagged litchi is lucrative the growers can sell their produce in high price, fruit researcher Dr Alim added.