It is the peak season for Bombai litchis in Ishwardi, Pabna, famous for its litchi production. But just before the fruit reached the market, Cyclone Remal ruined the growers. Branches of litchi trees struck one another in the storm and most of the fruit fell. The skins of the litchis were also bruised and turned dark, and now the fully ripe fruit is splitting.

In addition, the heatwave that ran for almost a month this year made the skins of most litchis thin and dark. Then two straight days of sudden rain swelled the flesh inside, so the fruit is splitting and falling from the trees. At the litchi markets, Remal's scars can be seen on thousands of kilograms of split and fallen fruit.

At Shimultala in Joynagar, Ishwardi's largest litchi market, on Monday (3 June), growers had laid out thousands of litchis in baskets for sale. Most were darkened, split or fallen. Fruit whose stalks were softened by Remal is falling from trees and splitting, and it is being sold by the kilogram. Every day growers bring thousands of kilograms of fallen litchis to market in baskets, selling them at Tk 20 to 35 a kg. So many fallen litchis have never been seen at the market before.

Anisul Haque, a grower from Joynagar village, brought 100 kg of fallen litchis to Shimultala market. He told Jago News he had sold the fruit of 40 trees in his orchard to wholesalers, and after harvesting 100-120 kg of split and darkened litchis were left over, which he had brought to sell by the kg. In good condition they would have fetched Tk 25-30 thousand; now they may sell for Tk 5-6 thousand at most.

Ramzan Ali, a grower from Maniknagar village, said there had been an unbroken heatwave for about a month and a half from the time the fruit set, and most of the young fruit fell. Then, just as the litchis began to ripen, Cyclone Remal caused heavy, irreparable damage. Some 40-50 percent of ripe litchis were damaged by Remal. Fallen fruit has to be sold by the kg for next to nothing, and split litchis with scorched skins have to be thrown away.

Abdul Jalil Kitab Mondal, a gold medal-winning litchi farmer, told Jago News that the intense heatwave had already darkened the surface of the litchis. With two days of rain from Cyclone Remal, the flesh swelled suddenly and the fruit is splitting. As a result 40-50 percent of orchard litchis have split, and stalks softened by the storm have caused fruit to fall. Farmers have suffered heavy losses, and Ishwardi's litchi production target this year has been disrupted.

According to the Ishwardi Upazila Agriculture Office, litchis were grown on 3,100 hectares in the upazila this year, with litchis worth Tk 500 to 550 crore expected to be traded.

Ishwardi Upazila Agriculture Officer Mita Sarkar told Jago News that litchis in the upazila faced weather problems from the start of the year. An intense heatwave began just as the trees flowered, and farmers were given advice on irrigation and other measures to hold on to production. Just as the litchis reached the marketing stage, Cyclone Remal caused extensive damage. After Remal, farmers were given various advice to maintain production.

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