In Dinajpur, known as the land of lychees, the scent of blossom now fills the roads and lanes. Golden blossom can be seen above the leaves of lychee trees swaying in the spring breeze, and clusters of flowers have started to appear in the orchards. With favourable weather, growers and agriculture officials see the prospect of a bumper crop this year.

Growers say Dinajpur's lychees are supplied to districts and upazilas across the country. Because the crop is profitable, the area under lychee is growing every year. If the weather stays favourable and no natural disaster strikes, Dinajpur will again have a record lychee harvest this year.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, there are 5,418 lychee orchards in the district. Last season lychees were grown on 5,787 hectares, producing about 35,000 tonnes, and sales exceeded Tk 1,000 crore. Work on setting this year's target is under way.

The main lychee varieties in Dinajpur are China Three, Bedana, Bombai, Madraji and Kathali. With favourable weather, growers hope for a bumper crop of all of them this year.

Across the district, blossom has started to appear on lychee trees in orchards and around every homestead, and the areas are buzzing with bees and crickets. As soon as the blossom appears, growers and traders spray the trees to protect it, and farmers are regularly watering and fertilising the base of the trees so the blossom does not drop. Sadar, Birol, Bochaganj, Kaharole, Chirirbandar, Birganj and Khansama upazilas are famous for lychees.

Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the DAE in Dinajpur, said blossom had already started to appear and the yield was expected to be better than in previous years. Agriculture officials are advising growers regularly on which insecticides and pesticides to use and when.

Lychee grower Juyel Islam said the trees have to be cared for before they flower, and regular spraying and irrigation have begun. As soon as the trees flowered, lychee traders began arriving from Rajshahi, Rangpur, Chattogram, Dhaka and other places, and many are buying orchards in advance.

Habibullah, supervisor of the Tayeba Majumder Red Crescent Blood Bank, said there are 33 lychee trees of different varieties on its campus. "Plenty of blossom has come. This year's weather suits lychee blossom, and I hope the yield will be very good," he said.

Dinajpur's lychees are in great demand nationwide because they are tasty and sweet. Lychees were once exported to the Middle East long ago, but that has not been possible since, as the fruit perishes quickly and is hard to export in a short time. A proposal has reportedly been sent to the ministry to set up lychee storage, processing and a lychee research centre, considering the quality and volume of production. This would allow various foods made from lychees to be sent at home and abroad.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.