Hillocks in the Dinarpur area of Nabiganj upazila, Habiganj, that once lay fallow are now lined with malta and orange trees, and the success of a few growers is drawing local young people and farmers to citrus, Agricare24 reports, citing the daily Samakal.
Kamal Uddin Jubed of Bongaon in Gajnaipur union became interested after watching malta-growing videos on YouTube. With a Tk 50,000 loan from Nabiganj Palli Sanchay Bank he planted about 300 malta and 50 orange trees on a hillock at home. This season he earned about Tk 3-4 lakh from the fruit and has repaid the loan; he plans two more orchards. Orange takes longer to bear, he said, while malta fruits quickly.
Abul Khair Kayed, a businessman from Kayasthagram Mahmudpur, began growing malta on about five bigha in 2014 as a hobby. His orchard, set up on the advice of the upazila agriculture office, now has about 500 trees; this season he sold Tk 7-8 lakh worth of malta for a profit of about Tk 4 lakh. Expatriate Dilwar Uddin has done well with about 300 malta trees in his homestead and is now planning a larger commercial orchard.
Local people say visitors come from far away to see the orchards and buy malta straight from the trees, and retailers collect fresh fruit from them. Former union council member Tofazzal Hossain Bokul and several teachers said the orchards put idle hillocks to use and create local jobs.
Dhananjoy Debnath, a field officer of Nabiganj Palli Sanchay Bank, said Jubed became self-reliant with the loan and has repaid it in full. Upazila agriculture officer Arifin Hasan said Dinarpur's soil and climate suit malta, lemon and orange, and a trial of oranges in Jubed's orchard has succeeded.
Source: Agricare24
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