When pesticide spraying was the only way to keep mango, guava and malta free of pests, fruit bagging, introduced a few years ago, changed the picture. Bagging is becoming essential for commercial production of quality fruit, and to reduce reliance on imported bags, the first fruit bag factory has been set up in Chapainawabganj.

Orchard owners and farmers have been forced to spray mango trees 15 to 62 times to kill pests, and guava and malta growers have struggled similarly. Bagging came as a scientific solution, and many began using fruit bags.

But supply of bags made from special paper became a question. When the price of bags imported from China and Taiwan became a concern, Jesmin Akter set up the country's first fruit bag factory. The venture saves farmers money and also helps protect the environment.

Chapainawabganj horticulturist Dr Sharaf Uddin introduced bagging to farmers and orchard owners and says demand for fruit bags is huge. Bagging is now under way in commercial mango orchards across the country.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.