Bumper betel nut production promises profit

Betel nut farming has changed the fate of many farmers in Jhalakathi and Pirojpur districts of Barishal division as the crop has become more profitable than other crops, thanks to its nature of giving high yield with little care and handsome market price.

Apart from flooding the local markets, the nut, called Supari in Bangla, continues to flow into different parts of the country as it’s the harvesting season goes on in full swing.

It is also being exported to different countries like the UK, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, and India, bringing home a handsome amount of foreign currency.

In Pirojpur, over 7,470 tonnes of betel nuts were harvested from 4,567 hectares of land this season, whereas 1,565 hectares of land were brought under betel nut cultivation in Jhalakathi, according to the respective Department of Agricultural Extension branches of the districts.

Growers of Jhalakathi are expecting a yield of three to four tonnes this season. They said betel nut trees need minimal investment and care but offer thrice as much profit than paddy and other types of grain cultivation.

Raw betel nuts are sold after being kept underwater for about two months, and the trees normally bloom in Bangali month of Ashar and Srabon and produce the nuts in Ashwin and Kartik.

“The peak season for betel nut sales is between Falgun and Aghrahayan,” said Riaz Ullah Bahadur, agricultural officer of Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi.

“Favourable weather condition has led to the bumper production this season. A bundle of raw betel nuts, containing 210 betel nuts, sells for Tk 300 to Tk 350 whereas each maund of dried betel nuts sells for Tk 12,000 to Tk 16,000 in the district,” he said.

During a recent visit to the areas, the betel nuts orchards were seen beaming with enthusiastic and happy wholesalers, buyers, traders, and growers.

They told The Business Post that the division had produced a massive volume of good-quality betel nuts, which was the highest in the last three years.

Md Abdullah Hawladar, owner of a local betel nut orchard of Rajapur upazila’s Charakhali village, told The Business Post that he is expecting to make a sale worth Tk 1,00,000 this season.

Rasel Bepari, another orchard owner of the area, said he has sold betel nuts worth Tk 2,00,000 already this season and is expecting to make a sale of Tk 1,00,000 more from his two bighas of land.

Rejaul Karim, a resident of the Kathalia upazila, Pirojpur, told The Business Post that he had not seen this much of yield in the last decade.

“We do not even need to take our produce to the markets, wholesalers, traders visit our orchards and buy the betel nuts directly from us,” he added

Gias Uddin, a wholesaler of Chattogram, who came to the Hatbagri Bazar of Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi, said after buying the betel nuts from the area, he takes it to the port city to distribute it to different districts and export these nuts to different districts and countries based on their quality.

Sheikh Taiyebur Rahman, upazila agricultural officer of Jiyanagar in Pirjopur, told The Business Post that the eight betel nut markets of the area make a sale worth Tk 4,00,000 each week and Tk 10,00,00,000 a year.

Jhalakathi DAE Deputy Director Md Fazlul Haque told The Business Post that they are happy with the production and providing assistance to the farmers.

“A growing number of people are now getting interested in betel nut cultivation which is good for the economy of division,” he added.