Ishwardi in Pabna is now coloured by litchis. Along both sides of the paved roads and dirt tracks of every village in the upazila, mile after mile, there is nothing but litchis. This year there has been a bumper crop.

• Trees that used to bear 3,000 litchis now carry more than 10,000
• Trade worth Tk 700 crore is hoped for
• Prices are lower because of the high yield

Growers and orchard owners say Ishwardi has never had such a big crop. Trees that never bore more than 3,000 litchis have gone past 10,000 this year, and branches are breaking under the weight. Growers, orchard owners and traders hope litchis worth Tk 700 crore will be traded in the upazila.

Ishwardi is known as the "litchi capital", and its juicy litchis are prized across the country. According to a survey by the upazila agriculture office, there are commercial litchi orchards on 3,100 hectares, with more than 3.5 lakh trees. There are also plenty of litchi trees around homesteads throughout the upazila. Because litchi farming is profitable, the number of orchards grows every year.

A visit found great activity in Ishwardi's orchards. Most are in Joynagar, Maniknagar, Mirkamari, Awtapara, Boroichara, Jagannathpur, Mahadebpur and Basherbada. The varieties grown most are the local Mozaffar, Bombai, China-3 and Kadmi. Harvesting of Bombai litchis has now begun alongside the local variety.

Abdul Jalil Kitab Mondol of Mirkamari village in Salimpur union is a national award-winning litchi grower. He told Jagonews24, "Litchi growers' dreams are coming true this year. For several years they did not get the yield they hoped for, and last year in particular the crop failed. This year, because of the huge yield, there is a festive mood across the upazila. Production has beaten any time in the past. If growers can harvest and market the litchis properly, they will make a profit."

Kamruzzaman Swapan, a grower in Joynagar village, told Jagonews24, "Litchi is the main cash crop of our area. Litchis are grown on 80 percent of the land in Sahapur and Salimpur unions of the upazila. The yield is very good. If the litchis can be marketed properly, growers will profit greatly."

Mostafa Zaman Noyon, a grower in Maniknagar village, told Jagonews24, "Most of the country's demand for litchis is met by Ishwardi. Production was very low last year. This year the yield is huge."

Johurul Islam, a grower from the East School Para area of the same village, also said the yield was huge this year. If the weather holds to the end, growers will profit, he said.

In Jagannathpur village, litchi trader Hashem Ali from Jashore told Jagonews24, "I have been trading litchis in Ishwardi for about 15 years. I come here every litchi season. I have never seen a crop like this year's. Because the yield is higher, prices are a bit lower."

Ishwardi upazila agriculture officer Abdul Momin said litchis were grown on 3,100 hectares in the upazila and there had been a bumper crop this year. Last year's crop was small; this year's yield will be three times last year's. Because of the huge yield, litchis worth more than Tk 700 crore are expected to be traded, he said.

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