Sreepur farmer finds success in lotkon cultivation

A farmer in Sreepur Upazila of Gazipur has achieved remarkable success in the cultivation of lotkon fruit locally known as bubi.

According to local sources, countless succulent fruits hang from the branches amidst a canopy of green leaves, a sight to behold at the Lotkon orchard of Dr Abul Ofa Zakaria, a farmer in Telihati village of the upazila.

Sreepur is witnessing a surge in lotkon cultivation as the fruit gains popularity. Dr Zakaria is leading this charge. After struggling with low profits from lemons, he switched to lotkon seven years ago. With minimal effort, his orchard now boasts over 100 trees, promising a harvest of 1,000 kg this year.

He embarked on this agricultural journey seven years ago with minimal effort and care. However, he began reaping the benefits after four years as he started properly planting his orchard. This year marks his third harvest.

Dr Abul Ofa Zakaria is a professional homoeopathic doctor, but he is also a well-known farmer. For over two decades, he cultivated lemons on a piece of land. While the lemon yield was good, the sales were not satisfactory. Seven years ago, he removed the lemon trees from the land and began growing lotkon.

He procured the saplings from Narsingdi, and after four years, he produced some 500 kilogrammes of lotkon fruit. The following year, it was 700 kg, and this year, he is aiming for a harvest of 1,000 kg.

Inspired by his success, over a hundred farmers in the surrounding areas have also taken up lotkon cultivation. The farmers are confident that Telihati's Taltoli village will soon be recognised as the “Lotkon Village”.

Abu Yusuf, a farmer, planted his own Lotkon orchard, saying, "The cultivation of Lotkon thrives in Taltoli."

Another farmer, Rahmat Ali, took Lotkon saplings from Dr Zakaria and explained the process. "After harvest, we remove the leaves and then apply fertilisers and other treatments," he says. "Before the fruit ripens, we clean the leaves and branches with a cloth to get a good yield."

The beauty of the orchard attracts many visitors, said farmer Shafayet Hossain. "It is lovely. People from all around the area come to see it, and some even come to learn harvesting techniques."

Agricultural entrepreneur Dr Zakaria said, "At first, I planted around 250 lemon trees here. But when I saw that I could not even earn Tk 100 a sack after selling 100 sacks of lemons, I planted lotkon instead. Now it is very profitable, and I have already picked 20 kg of lotkon from one tree and sold it for Tk 2,000. In another 15 days, the fruits will fully ripen."

"Seven years ago, I brought lotkon saplings from Narsingdi. I incrementally brought a total of 300 saplings. We distributed those among ourselves, and I planted 100 saplings. This year, I will be able to sell 1,000 kg, and the yield will increase with time."

He explained that it takes time and care to mature the trees. However, after that, there is no complicated maintenance as lotkon is a very profitable crop with low maintenance. "The way people in my area are getting excited, many will be doing it in 10 years. We will be able to meet the local demand and even export it. So far, at least 100 people have planted lotkon orchards seeing me.

Sreepur Upazila Agriculture Officer Sumaiya Sultana Banna said that lotkon thrives in the region.

 "This year, eight acres of land have been brought under the cultivation of the fruit. We advise and train up the farmers, promoting grafting for saplings, to make this delicious fruit a common crop."