Bogura farmer’s success in cashew nut cultivation

Mohtasim Billah Reza, an agricultural entrepreneur from Bogura’s Shajahanpur upazila has inspired many successfully by cultivating cashew nuts.

Cashew nut is a superfood and a high-value crop that can open the doors to new possibilities in the country’s agriculture if farming is expanded. Many visitors have been drawn in by Reza’s cashew nut trees, which are plentiful in blossoms and fruits.

Considering its cultivation potential in the area, the upazila Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) expects more farmers in the district to become interested in this venture.

The farmer Reza is a former expatriate who started farming on his father’s land after returning from Singapore. He was inclined towards cultivating various fruits.

He built a malta orchard beside their paddy field on the advice of the DAE about five years ago. However, he cut down the plants this year due to a low yield rate.

About a year and a half ago, Reza also planted 80 cashew nut saplings on 50 decimals of land under the supervision of the agriculture officers.

At first, the farmer was apprehensive about whether the plants will grow properly as he received a lot of negative comments on his endeavours. However. after about 18 months of relentlessly tending to the plants, half of them have finally started fruiting.

“The upazila agriculture office gave me 80 cashew nut saplings for free. More than 30 of them have started fruiting. I expect to get about four to five kg of nuts per tree,” said Reza.

He hopes to inspire the youth in cultivating this new crop. Reza added, “It is high time to commercially produce non-traditional food products like cashew nuts to meet the country’s demand and export it. I expect more entrepreneurs to step forward and take the initiative to cultivate cashew nuts.”

Shajahanpur Upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Akhtar Rowzeara said cashew nuts are primarily cultivated in hilly areas.

“Farmer Reza of Khottapara block of the upazila received 80 saplings under the cashew nut and coffee cultivation research development and extension project in 2021. 20 saplings died but the rest are growing well,” she said.

Rowzeara further added that cashew nuts and cashew apples both are delicious fruits and profitable crops due to their demand. Cashew nuts have many health benefits including weight loss, blood sugar control, healthy heart formation, diabetes and cancer prevention, and skin and hair protection.

Cashew nuts can be exported due to their high demand in the international market if it is produced commercially.

Bogura DAE Deputy Director Md Motlubor Rahman said they have found initial success in cashew nut farming under the cashew nut and coffee research development and expansion project in the Barind tract.

“The government is now encouraging farmers to engage in large-scale commercial cultivation of cashew nuts. Although the agriculture department is always researching the cultivation of these non-traditional foreign fruits and enriching the country’s agriculture,” he said.

He added that the government has provided free seedlings, training and encouragement to interested farmers. Cashew nut is a potential and profitable crop in agriculture. In the future, this crop can be one of the export products of the country.