RAJSHAHI, March 7, 2021 (BSS) – Malta farming has gained popularity in
the region including its vast Barind tract because many of the grassroots
growers have become delighted through the cash crop farming commercially.
The farmers are seen expanding acreage of the citrus fruit in many of
the dried lands consisting of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts
gradually after the best uses of modern technologies and other existing
natural resources.
Obaidullah Shah, a farmer of Tentulia village in Porsha Upazila of
Naogaon, has established a Malta orchard through transplanting 1,560 saplings
on seven bighas of land in 2018 first. He harvested fruit valued at around
Taka 2.5 lakh the following year and attained around Taka six lakh last year.
He’s expecting one and half mounds of fruit from each of the trees in
the current year. “I have established one more orchard on six bigha of land
this year,” said Obaidullah. He gets suggestions from the local agriculture
extension and research offices regularly.
Shah said commercial cultivation of the citrus fruits has begun in many
areas making the farmers happy and enthusiastic side by side with vibrating
the local economic activities.
The farmers who cultivate malta are now more interested in cultivating
the fruit instead of many other fruits and vegetables. This year, this fruit
is expected to be produced well.
Cultivation of the fruit will bring a revolution in the local economy as
hundreds of people from ultra-poor families have attained self-reliance by
cultivating malta.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Mahfuz Alam said there was only one orchard
in the upazila around five years back but the figure escalated to around 200
at present.
Popularity of the malta has been created in the local markets as it’s
testy. It has been proved that the soil texture of this area is suitable for
citrus fruit farming, he added.
Three youths- Mukta Ali, Tofazzal Hossain and Sultan Ahmed- have jointly
developed a malta orchard through planting 300 saplings on three bigha of
land at Arani Khorda Baosha area under Bagha Upazila in Rajshahi in 2017.
After nursing the field for around two years they sold fruit worth
around Taka 67,000 in 2019.They are very much hopeful about selling malta of
Taka four lakh this year. They are now successful in their venture.
Aminul Islam along with four of his co-villagers has established an
orchard on 45 bigha of land commercially on partnership approach at Bottoly
area under Godagari Upazila in Rajshahi.
Currently, they are doing their business successfully, said Islam,
adding malta is being sold at Taka 100 to 120 per kilogram in local markets.
He said the consumers get fresh Malta as these are sold directly from
the orchard to the market. Local Malta is delicious and tastes better than
the imported varieties.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Shafiqul Islam said there is water crisis at
Godagari as it is in the Barind region. So, the farmers in this region are
getting interested in farming Malta as it takes less water to get good yield
with a little care.
Malta is being cultivated on 90 bighas of land in this upazila, said the
agricultural officer.
Dr Alim Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station,
said Barimalta1 is more drought tolerant and tasty than any other exotic
variety.
Cultivation of malta, a high valued citrus fruit, has been gaining
popularity as the growers are reaping lucrative outputs from the farming in
the Barind region.
DASCOH Foundation, a non-government organization, under its ‘Integrated
Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project, is extending technical and
financial support to the farmers for boosting the malta 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 17 submersible
pumps with seven solar panels for ensuring irrigation facilities to around
200 bigha of malta farming fields in drip method.