Jhalakathi hog plum farmers dream of economic prosperity

More and more farmers of around 300 villages of Jhalakathi are getting into hog plum farming as the business is profitable.

The farmers are now dreaming of economic prosperity as the inauguration of the Padma Bridge made communication with other districts easier.

Wholesalers buy hog plums of Jhalakathi and export them to different districts, including Sylhet, Chattogram, Jashore and Rajshahi. Hog plums of this area are also shipped to several countries.

The farmers said the marginal fruit growers would profit more if more large-scale traders bought hog plums straight from them.

According to the local traders, hog plums of these villages are mostly sold at the floating markets of Jhalakathi’s Bhimruli, Shadasakathi, and Dumuria, Pirojpur’s Atghar, and Kuriana areas.

The floating market of Bhimruli village is the largest in the area and trade goes on here from early morning to midday.

Farmers said previously the hog plums were sold for Tk 800-900 per maund but now are being sold at Tk 1,050-1,200 depending on size.

Farmers are becoming more interested in cultivating hog plums since they are less perishable than guava and easier to transport. Boats are the primary mode of transport in this part of the country.

There are around 10 depots in Bhimruli that are used for both guava and hog plums since the fruits grow in different seasons.

Hog plum farmer Pankaj Boral of Kirtipasha union leased one acre of land in 2017 to cultivate the fruit.

“The trees bore fruit within three years and this year, I harvested and sold over 50 maunds of hog plum. Bengali months of Bhadro and Ashsin are considered hog plum season, but some variants of trees bear fruit all year round,” he said.

He added that the number of buyers is insufficient considering the quantity of hog plum produced in Jhalakathi.

Moloy Haldar, who came to sell hog plums at the floating market of Bhimruli, said wholesalers buy the fruit from here and export them to different districts of the country.

“Transport has become easier, thanks to the Padma Bridge. Goods can be transported to Dhaka in only three hours. The hog plums cultivated in this region are in demand since the fruits are tasty and of good quality,” he said.

Moloy added that if banks lend easier loans to the hog plum farmers, the business will expand exponentially. He expects the government to provide more facilities since the industry has enormous economic potential.

Depot owner Liton Halder said since the beginning of this month, they have been supplying 50-60 maunds of hog plum to Dhaka, Chattogram, Chandpur and Sylhet every day.

He added that the current price is Tk 1,050-1,200 per maund.

Another depot owner Siddique of Adamkathi said he buys hog plums from local farmers and sells them to wholesalers. The hog plums are then loaded on trucks to be transported to different districts or shipped to other countries.

Nutritionist Sajeda Begum of Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital said hog plum has a sufficient amount of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus and many nutrients.

“Hog plums help with digestion and cure constipation. The fruit can be eaten as it can be turned into pickle or marmalade,” she said.

Jhalakathi Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Agronomist Md Monirul Islam said this year, hog plum has been cultivated on 641 hectares of land in the district.

“The harvest yielded about 12 tonnes of hog plums per hectare. As the business is profitable, more farmers are becoming interested in hog plum farming and the yield is increasing gradually,” he said.