The soil of the hills yields gold and hides vast potential for agriculture. Once-neglected hills seem to have become a blessing for farming and farmers. After mango and lychee, the hills' next gold is lotkon, and hill people are dreaming of prosperity from growing it.

This fruit once hung in bunches from trees that grew on hill slopes and in the forest, and nobody valued it much. Over time, demand for the sweet-and-sour fruit has grown rapidly in the hills, and beyond the hill markets it is now in great demand in various districts of the plains.

Known as lotkon to local Bengalis, the fruit is called "pochimgul" in Chakma, "kyanaijusi" in Marma and "khuchmai" in Tripura. It starts ripening in mid-June and comes to market then. It hangs in bunches from the base of the trunk up along every branch. Nutritious lotkon is a favourite of young and old alike.

While mango and lychee are grown commercially in the hills, lotkon lags behind. In Matiranga, Ramgarh, Dighinala, Guimara, Panchhari and other upazilas of the Khagrachhari hill district, lotkon is grown on a small scale by individuals in homesteads and on hill slopes.

Recently many have begun to dream of growing lotkon commercially in the hills, attracted by the chance of more profit with less labour and less capital. Inquiries found that lotkon, in great demand in local markets, is selling for Tk 100-120 a kg.

Rumel Marma, an educated young man who was unemployed, has set up a lotkon orchard of more than 700 trees with some friends in Jugalchhari mouza of Panchhari. He has built the orchard beside a stream on leased land. Countless lotkon hang from every tree, from the base up through the branches. Saying the banks of streams and brooks are very suitable for lotkon, the entrepreneur Rumel Marma said: "Lotkon mainly does well in cool places."

Lotkon grower Protiva Tripura said: "Lotkon does not need much care. You get a good yield with little capital and little care. I have planted a small lotkon orchard alongside my mango orchard. The yield has been good, and local wholesalers have already started buying. I will be able to sell the fruit of each tree for Tk 5-7 thousand."

Md Ali Mia of Mohammadpur village in Matiranga has about 20 lotkon trees on the hill slope beside his house. Bunches of golden lotkon hang from every tree, and he dreams of earning a good sum from selling them.

Kuheli Tripura and Jharna Tripura, who came from Byangmara and Sapmara to sell lotkon at Matiranga market, said they have 10-15 lotkon trees beside their homes, and every tree has fruited heavily. They dream of earning a lakh taka from selling lotkon.

Matiranga upazila agriculture officer Md Sabuj Ali, an agriculturist, said the soil of the hill areas is very suitable for lotkon because of the many trees and the shade. It is a high-yielding crop in strong demand in the market. With more profit from less capital and labour, farmers are becoming interested in growing lotkon commercially.

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