By Dr Aynal Haque
RAJSHAHI, Jan 24, 2021 (BSS)- A total of 52 demonstration orchards will be generated aimed at boosting production of high-valued non-conventional fruits and medicinal crops through popularizing farming of those in the Barind area.
Besides, initiative has been taken to generate more orchards of the high valued fruits and field crops in personal lands and homesteads of the farmers in the dried area.
To this end, 4.15 lakh saplings and 2,000 kilograms of seeds of the nonconventional fruits and crops will be distributed among the farmers free of cost on behalf of a project titled “Popularizing of High Valued Unconventional Fruit and Medicinal Crop in the Barind Area.”
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), the ever-largest irrigation providing state-owned entity in the country’s northwest region, has started implementing the project since early this month to attain the specified targets.
The five-year project will be implemented in 13 upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabgonj and Naogaon districts at a cost of around Taka 17.34 crore, said ATM Rafiqul Islam, Director of the project.
Some 1,500 farmers and 310 officers and employees concerned will be imparted training on production, transplantation, nurturing and other techniques of the seedlings.
Rafiqul Islam said the project will be implemented with the main focus of boosting commercial farming of the high-valued fruits in the project-covering areas.
As a whole, the project is intended to inspire the farmers to high valued fruits farming commercially.
“We have set the target of establishing 22 orchards for fruits, 20 for field crops, eight for spices and two for beverages,” he said, adding most of high valued nonconventional fruits, field crops, spices and herbs will be brought under demonstration.
Upon successful implementation by June, 2025, the project is expected to contribute a lot to enhance the number of orchards of nonconventional fruits and medicinal crops.
Meanwhile, commercial farming of various high valued fruits including citrus ones has started gaining popularity in the Barind area after the best uses of its suitable climate condition and topography for the last couple of years.
Many of the entrepreneurs have set up orchards of dragon, malta, orange and are doing successful business after seizing opportunities being given by various government and non-government entities in different areas of the dried region.
Mazharul Islam, a returnee migrant from South Korea, has proved himself as a successful entrepreneur since his involvement in various citrus fruit farming in Rajshahi Barind area.
Islam, a resident of Benipur village under Godagari upazila, has, so far, developed fruit orchards on 43 bighas of land taken lease from others and two bighas of his own land.
Apart from this, Asadul Islam Helal has become an icon in the field of dragon fruit farming by involving in farming in the area for the last couple of years.
A farmer of Bidirpur village under Godagari Upazila in Rajshahi district, Helal had planted some dragon seedlings being inspired with his long-cherished hobby around six years back.
Later, he started farming of dragon, a delicious and high-valued but non-conventional fruit, in the region, on four acres of land in 2019 commercially.
On behalf of its ‘Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project, DASCOH Foundation, a non-government organization, is extending technical and financial support to the farmers for boosting the fruit production in the region as part of its effort to promote the less-water consuming crops in the drought-prone area.
Coordinator of the project, Jahangir Alam Khan said they provided financial support worth Taka 31.17 lakh for installation of around 20 submersible pumps with 11 solar panels for ensuring irrigation facilities to around 200 bigha of malta farming fields in drip method.
So far, 500 farmers and local government representatives were imparted training on how to cultivate the crop properly.
Jahangir Khan said various forms of cost-effective irrigation technologies like drip irrigation, fertigation and alternate furrow irrigation are being promoted in the dragon farming in the drought-prone Barind area in order to reduce the gradually mounting cost for irrigation besides boosting soil productivity.