RANGPUR, Jan 10, 2023 (BSS) - Cultivation of bananas has become a highly profitable venture both in mainland and char areas making many farmers self-reliant alongside meeting their nutrition in Rangpur agriculture region.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) here said farmers are expanding banana cultivation after getting its bumper output and lucrative prices every year.
 
"Farers have already cultivated banana on highest ever land area of 2,824 hectares till Monday in the region," Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammed Shah Alam said.
 
Transplantation of banana saplings will continue till this month-end in the region where farmers cultivated bananas on 2,756 hectares of land during the last season and on 2,559 hectares of land during the previous Rabi season.
 
Following massive motivation activities conducted by the DAE, especially after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers are expanding cultivation of banana as a cash crop to reap more profits alongside strengthening their body immunity.
 
The DAE officials are assisting farmers and providing technical support to them in expanding cultivation of 'Meher Sagar', 'Malbhog', 'Sobri' and other varieties of banana on more lands both on mainland and char areas.
 
"Tens of hundreds of small and marginal farmers, char dwellers and riverside people have cultivated bananas in all upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in the region this season," Alam said.
 
Meanwhile, harvesting of bananas has already begun with a bumper output of the cash crop and lucrative market prices bringing huge profits to farmers making them happy.
 
In Bhurungamari, Nageshwari, Phulbari and Sadar upazilas of Kurigram alone, char and riverside people have cultivated bananas on around 500 acres of char lands in main land and char areas this season.
 
Talking to BSS, farmers Mossarraf Hossain, Bulbul Ahmed and Abdus Sattar of different villages in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur said they have been cultivating bananas for the last 13 years and earning lucrative profits every year.
 
Farmers Lokman Hossain, Yusuf Ali, Babul Akhter, Nurul Islam and Mahbubar of different char villages in Bamandanga union of Nageshwari upazila said char people started cultivating bananas on char lands some seven years ago.
 
"We have started harvesting bananas to earn huge profits now," said Yusuf Ali, adding that more char lands are being brought under banana farming in Nageshwari upazila every year.
 
Char people are selling bananas on one side of char lands and cultivating bananas afresh on the other side on vacant lands.

The process of formation and growth of new banana bunches continues all the time giving the gardens fresh looks.
 
Witnessing success of changing fortune through banana cultivation by many farmers, their neighbors are bringing more char lands under banana farming with other crops adopting intercropping and relay methods.
 
Retail fruit traders Fazlur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar and Hossain Ali at Mithapukur Bazar in Rangpur said they are selling every four pieces of 'Malbhog' and 'Sobri' varieties of bananas at rates between Taka 34 and Taka 45.
 
Deputy Director (Leave Reserved) of the DAE at Khamarbari in Dhaka Agriculturist Abu Sayem said banana farming is expanding on both mainland and char areas improving livelihoods of farmers also contributing to the rural economy.