Forkan Uddin, a farmer in South Muslimpara village of Matiranga upazila in Khagrachhari, is growing lemongrass as a companion crop in the open spaces of his mango orchard. On hill land, the fragrant grass has become a new source of income for him.
He started in 2023 with 10 potted seedlings bought for Tk 50 each at the national tree fair in Dhaka. What began as a hobby is now heading towards commercial production. He expects about three tonnes if the whole crop is cut at once, and says fresh lemongrass sells for Tk 250 to 300 a kilogram.
Best known as a cooking ingredient, lemongrass is now used in herbal teas, drinks, cosmetics, soap and fragrances. Its leaves are long and narrow like rice leaves, and it gives off a scent of lemon when you come close.
Alongside the lemongrass, his orchard of nearly five acres holds many local and foreign mango varieties, among them BARI-4, Gourmoti, Banana Mango, Amrapali, Miyazaki, Brunei King, BARI-11, Katimon and Haribhanga.
Forkan says he saw lemongrass widely used on trips to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Because it needs little care, he believes it can pay commercially, and he plans to expand to about ten acres, with an eye on processing it for export as well as for the home market.
Matiranga upazila agriculture officer Md Shahabuddin Ahmed said lemongrass grows well in warm weather and much hill land could take it between orchard trees. He cautioned, however, that anyone planning to grow it on a large scale should first get proper advice on varieties, production costs, yields and marketing.
This report is based on information from Krishi Shomoy's Khagrachhari correspondent.
Photo: Mokkie / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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