<i>Papaya cultivation gaining popularity </i>

24 November 2009, 17:00 PM

UNB, Chapainawabganj

Commercial cultivation of papaya has been gaining popularity among the farmers here as its cultivation proved to be more profitable than other crops. Some 250 hectares of land have been brought under papaya cultivation this year with an output target of 3500 tonnes. Farmers are showing interest in papaya cultivation as it needs less fertiliser and irrigation comparing to paddy. Many farmers of Sadar, Shibganj and Bholahat upazilas have been cultivating various high-yielding variety of papaya including Shahi, Rachi and Kohinoor commercially. Besides, many jobless youths of the district have become self-reliant by cultivating papaya. Faruq Ahmed of Mirzapur village of Shibganj upazila has become self-reliant in a year by cultivating papaya. Now, he has 1100 papaya trees in his orchard and he has already earned Tk 1.56 lakh by selling 385 maunds of papaya. He is optimistic that he would be able to earn a profit of Tk 4 lakh by this year-end. Papya cultivator Moazzem of Bholahat area said he has been earning good profit by cultivating papaya on commercial basis for the last several years. Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Abdul Quddus said they have been motivating farmers to cultivate papaya in large scale. He said high quality seeds are being supplied from Kalyanpur horticulture centre to boost production.