Twenty-two villages of Jhalakathi are filled with the scent of juicy, vitamin C-rich lemons. The floating lemon market at Bhimruli in Jhalakathi is in full swing this season, with lakhs of lemons bought and sold here every day. Wholesalers buy lemons from boats and take them by vehicle to sell at wholesale depots in Barishal. Many take them by cargo trawler or truck to various districts of the country.

It was learned that 22 villages of Jhalakathi, including Baukathi, Shatadashkathi, Bhimruli, Kafurkathi, Atgarh, Gabharamchandrapur, Poshonda, Dumuria, Khejura, Kirtipasha and Mirakathi, are now filled with the scent of lemons. Every day farmers in these villages pick lemons from the trees and bring them by boat to Bhimruli market, where waiting wholesalers buy them sitting in the boats.

Lemon growers said that yields are lower than last year, so prices are higher. Last year 1 pon (80 lemons) cost Tk 150; this year it is Tk 200. Farmers in the villages grow lemons on raised beds (kandi) cut into the land. Each bed is 100 to 110 haat (cubits) long and 7-8 haat wide, and 22 trees can be planted on each. Growing lemons on such beds on 1 bigha costs Tk 50,000. Once the trees bear fruit, lemon sales bring in Tk 1.5 to 2 lakh every year. On that basis, farmers are earning Tk 1.5 to 2 crore a year from lemon sales.

Lemon wholesaler Milon Bepari said that when cargo trawlers arrive from Patuakhali, the lemons are sent on them to the Patuakhali wholesale market, where deals are made in advance with vegetable sellers. The lemons are sold at a profit over the buying price.

Lemon grower Manik Majumder said Jhalakathi's lemons are in demand and supplied to Dhaka, Barishal, Faridpur, Madaripur and various other districts. "Once the fruit sets, we sell lemons in two ways: first, to wholesalers at the local Bhimruli market; and second, after the trees fruit, we sell the whole orchard to wholesalers for a one-off cash payment," he said.

Lemon growers Subhash and Atul Halder said that if they got loans on easy terms and help from the agriculture department, they could expand lemon farming further. They never get the benefit of easy-term loans, so they have to borrow from NGOs at high interest.

Md Fazlur Rahman, deputy director of the Jhalakathi Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said: "Although this lemon is small, it holds plenty of juice. Everyone is more or less attracted to vitamin C-rich lemons. The agriculture department gives lemon growers all-round advice."

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