Diseased jackfruit trees
Maona of Sreepur upazila is well known for jackfruits. People earn more than 50% of their annual cash income from selling jackfruits. Jackfruit trees are planted in and around homesteads, raised marginal land, roadside and in the crop-fields. The trees bear fruit for several years. Some grow pineapple underneath. It gives additional income to the farm families.
However, we observed that most of the jackfruit trees are infested with stem-borer in Maona area. Many of the trees are dying and some trees are already dead. A Union Council Member of Maona showed us all his infested trees and some trees which were dead.
Sometimes, the trees become brittle in the infected zones. With strong wind the trees break from the oozing points. We have seen such dead trees which were either felled by the owner or broken due to wind. We are afraid if such dying continues, it would be like top-dying sundari in Sundarbans or dieback of sissoo in northern Bangladesh. It is not clear whether stem-borers are the primary or secondary source of infection.
Jackfruit trees in Dhaka, Tangail and Mymensingh play a vital role in forest conservation. People living in those area depend on jackfruit trees for both fruits and timber. They usually don't go for illicit felling. With reduction of jackfruit trees, people dwelling around shal forests would have no alternative except collecting their fuel wood and timber from shal forests. Now, jackfruit growing areas around shal forests are working as the buffer zone of forests. If we fail to control the stem-borer problem, we will have to pay a heavy price.
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