Home ›› 30 Apr 2023 ›› Nation
Betel nut (Areca nut) has become a great source of additional income for Rangpur farmers. The farming of the nut has been gaining ground in the region over the last couple of years due to its huge economic potential, said officials.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Rangpur, there are around 53 lakh betel nut trees across the five districts of Rangpur division. A farmer can harvest 800 pieces of betel nut from a single tree. The fruits are sold in 80-piece bundles at Tk 300-400 depending on its size and taste.
The produce grown in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Thakurgaw and Panchagarh of the region has huge demand among traders and consumers around the country.
Farmers plant the trees in their backyards of houses and fallow lands. They previously cultivate the produce to meet their personal needs but at present many of them have begun large-scale farming of the fruit bringing more land due to its huge economic potential.
The produce grown in the districts – Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Thakurgaw and Panchagarh of the region has huge demand among the traders and consumers around the country.
Fruit cultivation has been increasing every year as many of the farmers have started commercial farming in the region. A commercial betel nut farmer has usually 200- 2000 trees in the high and fallow lands.
The fruit mixed with betel leaves, locally known as paan, is very popular in the region and is usually chewed by almost everyone. The fruit is also used as raw material by dyeing factories. A rough estimate of the crop’s trading accounts for Tk 650 crore during the harvesting period between April- June in the region
Shah Alam, Additional Director, DAE Rangpur said betel nut trees give yields within four months of the plantation that costs around Tk 500 per tree. It proves huge economic potential for the farmers as they get ample benefits from investing in fewer amounts. The fruit cultivation has increased four times higher in the region compared to a decade ago.
Fazley Miah, a Primary School teacher and a farmer of Chandrakhana village under Fulbari upazila of Kurigram district said, he had 200 betel nut trees in his homestead orchard previously. Later, he went on commercial farming of the produce, extending his orchard a decade ago. Now he has 2000 trees on two acres of land. He earns at least Tk 12- lakhs yearly harvesting the betel nut excluding all expenditures.
Betel nut harvesting begins in mid-April and continues till the end of June, said Abu Bakar Siddique at Gadha village under Kishoregonj upazila of Nilphamari district.
‘’I planted 400 betel nut trees on the fallow lands around my homestead and sell the fruit worth Tk 3 lakh every year. The farming has an additional advantage as the betel nut trees grow on the lands where other crops fail,” he added.
Suresh Chandra Sarker, a farmer of Sindurmoti village under Rajarhat upazila of Kurgiram district said, he went on producing the betel nut on a commercial basis a decade ago for the profit measure. The cultivation has gained ground in the district as the fruit is very demanding and sold at higher prices in the local markets. The betel nuts traders even pay them in advance to supply the produce during the harvesting.
He has a 2000 betel nut trees orchard on two acres of land. In addition, he planted 300 fruit trees in the backyard of his house from which he earns more than Tk 2 lakhs each year.
Milon Chandra Barmon, a betel nut trader at Shatibari haat under Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur district said, “We often give the farmers advance money for the produce. There are around 500 betel nut traders in Rangpur region.”
At present traders are buying betel nuts for Tk 250-400 per 80–piece bundle. The produce worth around Tk 40-50 crore is traded in Shatibari haat each season. Some 10-12 trucks of betel nuts go to different parts of the country from this market each haat day, he added.
