Banana farming has become popular in Joypurhat district because it pays well. It not only puts food and clothes on the table for growers' families but also covers their other expenses. The nutritious banana has been recognised as the district's main cash crop, and many families, particularly around Jamalganj and Bhadsa, have become self-reliant by growing bananas alone.

Farmers say bananas earn far more than any other crop. Especially since the Jamuna Bridge opened, remarkable banana markets have grown up at Jamalganj and at Durgadaha bazar in Bhadsa, and banana is now popular alongside other crops.

Suckers 2-3 feet tall bear fruit within a short time. Suckers are usually planted in the Bengali month of Baishakh and bananas start coming from Agrahayan. Bananas do well on land where monsoon water normally stands for no more than a week.

Farmers say 300 to 350 suckers are planted on a bigha, depending on the variety. With careful farming, one plant yields 2 to 2.5 maunds of bananas. Growing bananas on a bigha costs Tk 15,000-20,000, while the bananas from each bigha sell for Tk 80,000 to Tk 1 lakh, which no other crop can match. Bananas from here go to 35 districts, including the capital Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali and Bhairab.

The local agriculture department says bananas have been grown on 800 hectares in Joypurhat this year, with a production target of 30,000 tonnes. Ashraful Islam says he grew bananas on 5 bighas this year and made a profit of Tk 60,000 to Tk 80,000 a bigha after costs. Another grower, Nur Alam, says there is no trouble selling bananas, as retail traders cut and take them straight from the field.

Large banana markets are also held at Jamalganj and Durgadaha bazar. Every morning 60-65 wholesale traders buy bananas and load them on trucks. A bunch (locally called ghaur) of Champa bananas sells for Tk 150-350, Sabri bananas for Tk 400-500, and Sagar and Rangin Meher Sagar bananas for Tk 250 to Tk 300. More than 500 people are involved in buying and selling bananas every day, and local traders say bananas worth nearly a crore taka change hands. A smaller market is held at Gulshan Chowmohona in the district town.

Because Joypurhat's bananas are of high quality, traders supply them across the country. Traders Shafiqul Islam, Babu, Tabba and Mizanur Rahman say 35 districts, including Dhaka, Sylhet, Chattogram, Cumilla, Bhairab, Noakhali and Chandpur, are big markets for Joypurhat bananas. Shafiqul Islam, owner of SA Traders and a well-known banana trader, says an average of 14-15 truckloads of bananas leave Joypurhat every day for different parts of the country.

Varieties grown in Joypurhat include Champa, known as a medicinal banana, Sabri, Rangin Meher Sagar and Sagar. Sabri bananas now sell in Joypurhat's markets at Tk 18 to Tk 20 a hali (four), and Champa and Sagar at Tk 8 to Tk 15 a hali. Banana farming is quite profitable: about 10,000 families in the district are involved in it, and many have become self-reliant.

Citing BSS.

Source: Amader Shomoy. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.