Sadarpur in Faridpur has had a bumper lalmi harvest, and with Ramadan, growers are getting good prices too. The bumper yield and good prices have brought smiles to growers' faces. After meeting the district's demand, lalmi grown here is going to different parts of the country.

Lalmi is a tasty, juicy fruit of the bangi (melon) family. It looks like a bangi but differs in taste and smell. Because it contains a lot of water, it is very popular with people who are fasting. Every year, growers in Sadarpur plant lalmi with Ramadan in mind. This season 100 lalmi are selling for Tk 2,500 to Tk 8,000 depending on type.

Growers were seen busy harvesting lalmi. The fruit is picked, washed beside the field and sent to market by van and other vehicles. Wholesalers from different parts of the country buy lalmi directly from farmers, and traders take it away by truck. Because it is formalin-free, lalmi from here is in demand across the country.

According to the agriculture department, lalmi has been grown on 4,500 hectares in the district this year, most of it in Sadarpur upazila. The district's production target this year is 11,250 tonnes, with a market value of about Tk 45 crore.

Lalmi grower Md Abed Sheikh said the yield is much better than in other years and prices are good too. Favourable weather has helped, and he is making a good profit after covering costs.

Lalmi grower Md Shahidul Sheikh said: "Every year we grow lalmi for Ramadan. It can be sold within four months of planting. Costs are relatively low and profits high. Prices were low for the past few years, but this time we are getting good prices. In future more growers in the area will be interested in lalmi."

Md Kabirul Islam, a wholesaler from Natore, said: "For several years I have come here to buy lalmi at this time. I come two days a week. Depending on size, 100 lalmi cost Tk 2,500 to Tk 8,000. With vehicle hire and other costs it comes to Tk 1,000 per 100 pieces. Then I sell each lalmi at a profit of Tk 10."

Akidul Sheikh, who came from Dhaka, said: "Every year I come here to buy lalmi directly from farmers. There are no aratdars here. The lalmi here tastes good and is chemical-free, which is why it is in demand across the country."

Agriculturist Md Shahaduzzaman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Faridpur, said: "People in this district grow lalmi for Ramadan. It is low-cost and profitable. The yield is good this time and growers are getting good prices. With strong demand across the country, lalmi is going to different places."

He added that growers here use no chemicals on lalmi, which is why it is tasty and popular, and Faridpur's lalmi has a good name across the country. This year the district's production target is 11,250 tonnes, worth about Tk 45 crore.

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