Home ›› 13 Nov 2021 ›› Nation
Ayub Ali – a farmer of Santashpur village under Fulbaria upazila – had planted 100 malta saplings of Vietnam-04 variety in three acres of land around five years ago. As his orchard gradually expanded to 1,200 trees, so did his profits from selling this delicious fruit.
He made Tk 7 lakh in profits this season by selling malta. Sharing his experience with The Business Post, Ayub said, “I used to cultivate pineapples before, but I began growing malta some five years back.
“It took three years for the plants to mature, but my hard work has been rewarded with hefty profits. I get around 40 kilogrammes of malta from one tree, and sell each maund of malta for Tk 4,000.”
He continued, “I sold around 200 maunds of the fruit this year and earned about Tk 8 lakh. After paying off the farmhands and production cost, I had retained a profit of Tk 7 lakh.”
Ayub Ali does not only profit from malta, but he also sells good quality saplings from his trees.
“I prepare malta saplings by using the grafting method. I sell one sapling for Tk 100, and expect to make Tk 10 lakh in profits this year from sapling sales alone. I made a profit of Tk 6 lakh last year as well,” he added.
Successful farmer Ayub Ali had inspired more than a hundred growers in his locality and Rangamati. More and more farmers of these regions are opting for commercial malta cultivation and turning their fates around, said Agriculturist Md Motiujjaman, deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Mymensingh.
Abdul Malek, who became inspired by the success of Ayub and opted for malta farming, said, “I bought 100 saplings from Ayub and established a malta orchard on my 50 decimal land some three years ago.
“For the first time, I am able to harvest fruits from my orchard this year. I got 20 to 25 kilogrammes of malta from each tree and obtained a profit of Tk 50,000 excluding costs. I am looking forward to extending my orchard soon.”
According to the DAE, more than 500 farmers in Fulbaria, Bhaluka, Ishwarganj and Gauripur upazilas of the district have successfully adopted commercial cultivation of malta.
“The soil and climate of Mymensingh are appropriate for malta cultivation and the fruit is popular among consumers across the country for its quality, size and taste,” said DAE deputy director Motiujjaman.
