Home ›› 10 Sep 2021 ›› News
The growing appetite for the more expensive exotic fruits, once a rarity in the local market, has spurred a countrywide farming trend to satisfy people’s tastebuds.
The Department of Agricultural Extension’s ‘Year-Round Fruit Production for Nutrition Improvement Project’ has introduced foreign fruit saplings in 74 horticulture centres across Bangladesh.
Farmers introduce 930 dragon gardens with support from the project. Foreign fruits such as Mangosteen, Logan, Rambutan, Vietnam coconut, Arabic Date and Thai Guava are also being produced in another 200 gardens.
“These fruits are doing well in Bangladeshi condition in horticulture centres and exhibition plots. Like Dragon fruit, all these fruits will be available everywhere in Bangladesh and their prices will come down remarkably in the local market within the next few years,” project director Mehedi Masood told The Business Post.
Project consultant Rokeya Begum said they gave saplings, training, and other farming materials to the farmers. “These fruits will play an important role in meeting nutritional demands and boosting the rural economy,” she said.
Exotic fruits like Dragon, Avocado, Mangosteen, Persimmon, Rambutan, Longan, Lime, Arabic Dates, and Durian are available in the super shops. These fruits cost around Tk 1,000 but some are also sold on roadside stalls at cheaper rates.
Who are the consumers?
Affluent people are the main customers of these fruits at super shops.
Naima Islam, a senior official of a private bank, regularly shops at Agora outlet in Farmgate.
She bought a kg of mangosteen from the shop for Tk 1,000.
“I like to taste uncommon fruits,” she said. “I want my children to taste them as well.”
Some of these exotic fruits are within reach of general customers. Dragon and Logan are available at roadside shops and rickshaw vans.
Jobayer Rahman, a school teacher, bought a kg Dragon fruit for Tk 250
from a street shop in Shewrapara of Mirpur.
“I always see dragon fruit in fruit shops but I never tasted it. I thought the price would be too high. I bought some for my family members. They will be happy to see this fruit,” Jobayer said.
Nurseries playing vital role
Saplings of Achachairu, Santol, Abiu, Kepol, breadfruit, Rollinio, Barada, Miracle, Zaitun, Egg fruit, Loquat, Soursop, Pulasan, Durian, Lipote, Davidson Plum are available at different nurseries. Besides, Sapote, berry and pomelo of varying colours and countries of origin are also available.
“We mainly import saplings from Thailand, Australia, India and China,” Sany Sarker, proprietor of Ashulia Garden Centre, told The Business Post.
The demand for these saplings is very high, he noted, prompting them to go for import.
“The majority of our customers are those who have rooftop gardens. Small nurseries and some commercial farmers also collect saplings from us,” he added.
Annually, the Ashulia Garden Centre sells around 20,000 Rambhutan saplings, 15,000 Avocado saplings, 30,000-35,000 Tin saplings, 15,000 apple saplings, 10,000 to 15,000 Longan and mangosteen saplings.
A piece of grafted sapling costs Tk 3,000 to Tk 20,000. Prices of small saplings vary from Tk 500 to Tk 1,000 based on the fruit variety.
However, the price of each sapling is Tk 80 at government horticulture centres.
Facebook pages and YouTube channels are also playing vital roles in popularising foreign fruits in rooftop gardening.
“Gardening Bangladesh” is one such channel that makes videos on foreign fruits saplings’ availability in nurseries. Hira Haider, owner of the channel, said, “Most of the saplings come from India and the price is very high.”
Some nurseries claim that they imported saplings from Australia, Thailand and some other countries but 80 per cent of saplings are being imported from India, he said.
Rooftop gardening
A study conducted by The Green Savers Association found that in Dhaka, roof space is 18,00,000 katha of which 8,10,000 katha is usable. Of the total roof space in Dhaka, only 3 per cent has gardens.
Amena Akter, an inhabitant of Shewrapara, Mirpur, has covered her roof with flowers and fruit plants.
She collected all the saplings from nurseries.
“I like to collect new flowers and fruits saplings. I have avocado, Logan and Thai Guava in my rooftop garden,” Amena said.
“The fruits are not for sale. They are fulfilling my chemical-free nutritional demand,” she added.
