Farmers in Joypurhat are changing their fortunes by growing strawberries commercially. Because it costs little and earns well, interest in growing this tasty and nutritious fruit alongside other traditional crops is growing day by day. After meeting local demand, the juicy red strawberries grown here are now supplied to the capital Dhaka and other parts of the country.

On a visit, strawberries were seen growing widely in Jamalpur, Chanda and Kalibari villages of Joypurhat Sadar upazila, the red fruit peeping out between green leaves across wide fields. Because of farmers' great interest in the crop, the villages are now known locally as "strawberry villages".

Farmers say that because the fruit yields quickly and profitably, more land has been planted this year than last. Growers have already started picking, and good market prices have left them satisfied. The district office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is working in the field to encourage farmers to grow this profitable fruit. According to the office, strawberries have been grown on a total of 13 hectares in Joypurhat district this season.

Strawberries are currently selling for Tk 300 to 400 a kg straight from the field. With strong demand across the country, strawberries leave these villages by truck every morning for different parts of the country.

Harun Hossain, a grower in Kalibari village, said happily: "Looking at the past four or five years, the price of strawberries in the market is quite good this year. So we hope to be in a quite profitable position compared with other years."

Calculating costs and returns, Hafizar Rahman, a farmer in Chanda village, said: "If you grow strawberries on one bigha, even after deducting all the maximum costs, including fertiliser, irrigation and labour, it is easily possible to make a profit of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 2.5 lakh."

Mahmudul Hasan, a wholesale buyer who came to Joypurhat, said: "The quality of the strawberries here is very good. I have come from Pabna. We buy here and supply them to various districts including Pabna, Sirajganj, Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna and Jashore."

AKM Sadikul Islam, deputy director of the DAE in Joypurhat, said: "From the agriculture department we are giving farmers the advice they need so that they can produce strawberries smoothly and in large quantities. When ripe, the strawberries here are very juicy and tasty. Because of their good quality, there is strong demand for them in the market."

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