Banana gardens are spread across the green hills. Because bananas are grown all 12 months of the year in the hills, they are available in every season, and over time growers are finding their way to financial stability. Large quantities of bananas travel over difficult hill roads from remote parts of Khagrachhari to markets.

With strong demand for hill bananas across the country, growers are making a profit. Bananas worth lakhs of taka change hands on weekly market days. This was the scene at Matiranga and Guimara, the largest banana markets in Khagrachhari. After meeting local demand, hill bananas go through wholesalers to Dhaka, Noakhali, Chandpur, Chattogram, Cumilla and other districts.

Thanks to the climate and fertile soil, the hills are increasingly suited to growing local bananas. But while commercial cultivation of local bananas has grown in the hill region, facilities have not. Because of poor communications, growers cannot market their bananas at the right time and do not get a fair price, the growers say.

Different varieties are grown depending on the soil. Two are mainly seen: the local Bangla banana and the Champa banana. Sabri and Sagar bananas are also grown. Pesticides are hardly used in banana farming in the area, and the banana is a nutritious fruit in itself. Bananas are harvested all year round but most plentifully from August to October.

Md Abdul Salam, a trader who comes from Cumilla to Matiranga market, said he takes bananas from Matiranga and Guimara markets to Cumilla and nearby districts all year. Because they are very tasty, bananas from this region are in great demand in the plains districts, and people buy hill bananas as soon as they see them.

Md Nurul Amin, a trader from Chattogram, said: "Hill bananas are in great demand in city markets. There is a big difference in quality between plains bananas and hill bananas, so bananas from here fetch a higher price. Even so, buyers in the plains prefer hill bananas."

Md Shahin Mia, a local wholesaler, called for government incentives for commercial banana farming. "If growers get government support for banana farming, they will play a big role in the economy here," he said.

In local markets a bunch of bananas (at least 100) sells for Tk 300 to 500 depending on quality, and for more than double that in the plains districts, according to Md Nurul Amin, a banana trader from Noakhali.

Md Sabuj Ali, the Matiranga upazila agriculture officer, said: "Bangla and Chapa bananas do well in hill soil. Bananas grow naturally here and need little care. You only need to clear the undergrowth around the plants and cut away dead leaves and excess suckers."

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