Bumper litchi production likely in Rangpur

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RANGPUR, May 03, 2018 (BSS) – Officials of the Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE) and farmers are expecting bumper litchi production following
excellent growth of the tender fruit this season in Rangpur agriculture
region.

The farmers have put maximum efforts now on nursing the fruit-bearing
litchi trees in their orchards as the tender fruits are growing excellent to
become fleshy enough amid favorable climatic condition and frequent
rainfalls.

Talking to BSS today, Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md
Mesbahul Islam said that harvest of the popular and juicy, tasty and fleshy
fruit would begin from the third week of the current month when the fruit
would appear in local markets.

More than 95 percent of litchi trees in the small, medium and big-sized
litchi orchards and homesteads on about 1,650 hectares of land have bloomed
massively this season in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region.

“The farmers cultivated litchi on 1,551 heaters of land and produced
13,285 tonnes of the seasonal fruit worth over Taka 133 crore during the last
season in the region,” he said.

“However, the production might cross 15,000 tonnes worth Taka 150 crore
this year as the farmers have cultivated litchi on 100 hectares of more land
and the tender fruits are growing superbly amid favourable climatic condition
in the region,” he said.

He said the farmers have mostly cultivated high yielding varieties like
China-3, ‘Bedana’, Bombay, ‘Mozaffarpuri’ and Madrazi and late variety
‘Kanthali’ litchi following repeated bumper production and lucrative price
recent years.

Fruit trader Babu Mian and Aiyub Hossain at Rangpur City Market said
litchi traders form Dhaka, Munshiganj, Gazipur, Kishoreganj, Chittagong,
Sylhet, Comilla and other districts have already flocked to the region and
completed purchase of the growing fruits in litchi orchards in advance.

Farmers Ariful Haque and Shamiul Alam under Sadar upazila of Rangpur,
Nezamul Islam and Abdul Jabbar of Birganj upazila in Dinajpur hoped to get
bumper litchi yield this year following smooth formation of the fruit amid
excellent climatic conditions.

Similarly, litchi growers Solaiman Ali, Abdur Rahman and Ali Hossain of
Syedpur upazila in Nilphamari and Mahmudul Haque and Abdus Salam of Sadar
upazila in Lalmonirhat expected bumper litchi production this season.

Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said the
commercial basis litchi cultivation has become popular among the farmers in
the region as many of them brought self-reliance through farming the fruit in
recent years.

Expressing satisfaction over excellent budding in the litchi trees and
subsequent smooth formation of the tender fruits in the trees amid favourable
climatic conditions, he also predicted bumper production of the fruit in the
region this season.