A coal depot that lay abandoned for years in Durgapur upazila of Netrokona has been turned into a malta (sweet orange) orchard by three entrepreneurs. On the advice of the Department of Agricultural Extension they planted 500 trees of the BARI-3 and Vietnamese varieties in two rounds on one acre of fallow coal heaps in 2021; every tree now hangs with fruit, with lemon and jujube trees grown as companion crops.

About Tk 10 lakh has gone into the orchard so far. Upkeep this season cost Tk 2 lakh, but with a good crop the partners expect sales to pass Tk 6-7 lakh. Azizur Rahman, sub-assistant agriculture officer for Durgapur, said about Tk 3.5 lakh of fruit was sold last year and this year's sales are likely to double.

Rony Mitra, one of the partners, said their BARI-3 and Vietnamese malta are juicy and sweet, and because the orchard lies near the Bijoypur china-clay tourist area visitors get to pick fruit straight from the trees. Large wholesalers from other districts have been in touch, he said, but the partners are giving priority to local buyers and will supply outside markets after local demand is met.

Milon Mia, a wholesaler from Nazirpur, has been buying from the orchard for two years; he pays Tk 80-100 a kilogram and sells in the retail market for Tk 10-15 more. Seeing the partners' success, Azizur Rahman said, many more people in the area are now taking up malta cultivation.

Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Netrokona correspondent. Source: Krishi Shomoy