Govt support boosts orange production in Moulvibazar
DAE project needs extension
Having a good yield this year, two growers are sorting out oranges at Goalbari in Juri upazila in Moulvibazar district. Photo: STAR
With a steady growth in orange cultivation and its yield in Moulvibazar district during the last few years, the total area under orange cultivation has increased to 494 acres from 59 acres while the average yield has risen to 3.75 tonnes from 3.50 tonnes per hectare. The growers attribute this development to the initiative by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) that launched a five-year Orange and Pineapple Development Project (OPDP) in greater Sylhet in 2000-2001 financial year. The project that later extended till June 2008 has helped to bring dynamism in orange cultivation, growers and OPDP officials said, adding that the OPDP project should be extended for at least five years. Orange growers now spontaneously join training programmes and their number is increasing, said horticulture development officer Anwar Hussain who is in charge of the OPDP project in Moulvibazar district. Under the OPDP, 163 orange orchards, each on four bighas of land and with 220 trees, have been created in the hilly lands of Moulvibazar district, he said, adding that now 494 acres of land is used for orange plantation. This year 70,000 of some 1 lakh 40 thousand trees in new and old orchards have yielded fruits, with each plant producing 160 pieces of orange in an average, he said. This year the fruit is selling at Tk 72 to 84 a dozen at wholesale markets. Official estimates put this year's orange production in Moulvibazar district at 1,500 tonnes. There is potentials for development of orchards and rising the yield up to five times if proper infrastructures are built and other facilities given, Anwar Hussain said. The number of plants has increased in recent time as plantation is done in rows in a planned way and farmers are given orange saplings, he said. Identity cards have been provided to the farmers to avoid hassle by law enforcers while marketing of the fruit. Earlier, many farmers got discouraged to grow orange as many farmers, especially from orange growing areas of Baralekha and Juri upazilas close to the Indian border, were arrested on false charges of smuggling orange. Almost all the villagers of Shuknachhera, Hawachhera, Rupachhera, Lamachhera, Lathitila, Uttar Kachurgul, Pashchim Kachurgul, Dumabari, Penagul, Vandergul, Uttar Kuchairthol, Govindapur and Cheragi under Juri upazila and Uttar Shahbajpur, Dakshin Shahbajpur, Maizgram, Dimai, Gulsha, Dakshinbhag, Kathaltoli and Bubarthol, under Baralekha upazila are cultivating the popular winter fruit in a large scale. Almost every family has orange gardens with five to 5,000 orange plants. Hilly Goalbari under Juri upazila, the main orange producing area of the district, is adjacent to the Indian border, 58 kilometres from Moulvibazar town. Orange is also being cultivated in Prithimpasa, Karmodha and Hazipur unions under Kulaura upazila and hilly areas of Srimongal upazila. Appreciating the OPDP project, growers said now more people are involved in orange cultivation as they are optimistic about its success. Sanaul Haque and Sirajul Islam of Lathitila village in Juri upazila close to the border said they learnt improved methods of orange gardening through the training programme under the OPDP project. Other forms of support including supply of saplings also helped in their effort to grow orange on more area of land and in better quantity, they added. However, government support for infrastructure development is badly needed as two other main problems irrigating gardens and marketing products -- still remain unresolved, growers said. As surface water is not available in hills, deep tubewell irrigation is the only alternative, OPDP officer Anwar Hussain said. Besides, road development is needed to ease marketing of the delicious fruit as carrying it manually from orchards to distant markets adds to the cost, he said. He said the OPDP project, scheduled to be closed in June 2008, should be extended for five years more to continue the support to farmers. Orange can be an export item after meeting the home demand as there are vast areas in the country suitable for orange cultivation. Agriculture Adviser CS Karim, who visited orange producing areas of Suknachhera and Kachurgul under Goalbari union of Juri upazila on November 3, said the government planning steps for solving the problems of irrigation and road communication.
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