Home ›› 19 Aug 2022 ›› Nation
Banana farming has been playing a vital role in improving the socio-economic condition of people in many areas of the district, bringing smiles to farmers’ faces as it makes their fortune.
Farmers of Harirampur, Daulatpur and Ghior upazilas in the district have gained solvency cultivating bananas in their sandy lands which previously remained uncultivated for a long time.
Most of those lands of remote char areas of the Padma and Jamuna rivers are suitable for cultivating bananas. The ultra-poor farmers of the district are now improving their economic conditions through banana cultivation.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office sources said bumper production of bananas and fair prices have brought smiles to the faces of growers in three upazilas of the district.
Around 5,000 farmers of the three upazilas have changed their lives cultivating bananas on their land. Most of the char (shoal) areas of the upazilas are suitable for cultivating bananas, DAE sources said.
Banana cultivators, especially women, are playing a key role in banana farming in the areas.
Afroza Khatun, one of the banana cultivators of Ramchandrapur village under Harirampur upazila, said, “I cultivated banana on 50 decimals of land. I planted 100 saplings of the local variety of bananas three years ago and got a good profit.”
After getting good returns, she planted 500 saplings of different varieties of bananas including Sabri and Kobri in the next year.
Only three years ago, Afroza had to face serious hardship to maintain her family with the scant income of her husband. They were even forced to stop the education of their three children due to poverty. But now, they have no financial constraints as the cultivation of bananas has changed their fate.
In the next year, she planted about 1,000 saplings of bananas and in 2021, Afroza planted 2,000 saplings on five bighas of land. She expects an earning of Tk 1 lakh deducting all costs of farming.
Once, the river-eroded people of those areas had to lead a measurable life. But now about 5,000 farmers are making unexpected profits from banana farming.
Following Afroza, hundreds of poor cultivators of Haluaghat, Mehendipur, Notakhola, Harihordia and Harirampur char areas started banana cultivation and they are happy to get good production and reasonable prices.
Housewives Rahima Begum of Bas
