Md. Mithu, a farmer at Gobhipur village in Meherpur Sadar, had grown vegetables, mango, banana and guava until he watched YouTube videos of other people's passion fruit orchards. Known locally as anarkoli, the fruit is now growing on his own land: within five months of planting 230 seedlings on a bigha and a half this year, the vines were flowering and fruiting. Agri Barta carried the report, citing BSS.
The tart fruit, native to the Amazon region of South America, is popular with tourists in Cox's Bazar, and demand and good prices have led to commercial growing in Bangladesh.
Mithu said he prepared the land after watching videos and talking to a few growers, ploughing it and mixing in organic fertiliser. He brought the seedlings from Jhenaidah and trained the climbing vines onto bamboo trellises. In his experience the plants need little irrigation but regular care and a trellis. Land preparation, seedlings, trellises and care have cost him about Tk 2 lakh so far.
"At first I was afraid: would it even fruit? Seeing the fruit on the vines has taken most of that fear away," he said. He expects to start selling in 10 to 15 days and, if prices hold, hopes to sell Tk 8 to 10 lakh worth of fruit this season.
Enamul Haque, another Gobhipur farmer, said villagers did not understand the crop at first but are growing interested as the vines fill with flowers and fruit; if costs and disease risk stay low it could be a good option for farmers, he said, asking the agriculture department for advice. Visitors Saiyedatun Nesa Noyon and Mahmuda Akter said the fruit looks attractive and tastes good.
Kazi Shahnewaz, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension, said farmers in Meherpur would be given the advice and support they need to make the crop a success, and would be encouraged after its potential in local conditions is assessed.
Photo: Enoch Lau / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Agri Barta
Comments
(0)