Home ›› 20 Dec 2021 ›› Nation
Former expatriate Shoaib Sadik Nobin for the first time in Bogura – has experimentally cultivated Tween fruit in an orchard. Also known as At-Tin or Fig, this fruit is regarded as holy by Muslims around the globe, and holds a big potential for exports after fulfilling local demand.
When Nobin was in Singapore, he came to know about the fruit and its cultivation methods from one of his Turkish friends. He was so inspired that he collected 600 seedlings from Turkey and planted them in two bighas of land in Aria Palpara under Shahjahanpur last September.
Within three months of planting and intense care, these plants are bearing fruits.
Tween is mainly cultivated in Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Thailand. The weather and soil of Bangladesh are not appropriate for Tween cultivation. “However, with proper use of organic fertilisers, pesticides, and consistent care, I have been able to get a good turnout,” said Nobin.
He said the fruit production decreases during the winter and rainy seasons. But, during the other months of the year, the fruit grows at the base of each leaf. The skin ripens within just six months.
The fruit exhibits different colours, such as red, brown, pink, and yellow. When the fruit ripens, its size also increases. After being fully ripe, the juice becomes sweet.
People from different districts are coming to see his orchard of the exotic fruits that are very juicy and can be consumed all year-round after drying and preserving in containers. He said many visitors are also expressing their eagerness to learn the cultivation technique from him.
“I was apprehensive about the cultivation of tween fruit at the beginning, but I have gained success through hard labour, intensive care, and the advice of the agriculture department officials,” he further said.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Bogura branch, the fruit is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, as well as almost all essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, carbohydrates, sugar, fat, protein and thiamine.
Tween also has many medicinal properties. It helps cure constipation, reduce weight, keep the heart healthy, and control high blood pressure. It also helps prevent cancer, especially breast cancer, the DAE said.
Noor e Alam, an agricultural officer of Shahjahanpur upazila regarded Nobin’s success in Tween cultivation as remarkable and told The Business Post that through his initiative, hundreds of youths in the vicinity could be inspired to cultivate this fruit.
He added, “It has a huge market in Bangladesh. But people at the moment can only import this fruit from abroad. If this initiative catches on, traders can buy tween at local markets paying much less than they used to.
“We are encouraging the farmers and youth to cultivate this fruit after seeing Nobin’s success.”
