Low costs, good yields and profitability have brought success in banana farming for Anwar Hossain Anar. The farmer, of Bade Sholakia village in Mohinanda union of Kishoreganj Sadar upazila, stands to earn at least Tk 9 lakh a year from bananas. He has succeeded with champa bananas at his first attempt. Traders buy bananas from his garden every day, and in a few days he will also be able to sell saplings. This has sparked interest in banana farming among other growers in the area.

On the advice of the local sub-assistant agriculture officer, Anar collected champa banana saplings and planted them on fallow land in front of his fishery. He planted 1,600 champa banana trees on one and a half acres, at a cost of about Tk 3 lakh. Traders are buying each bunch from the garden for Tk 700 to 800. He will sell Tk 12 lakh worth in the first year, giving him an income of about Tk 9 lakh.

Anar said: "I grew champa bananas on the advice of local sub-assistant agriculture officer Nasiruzzaman Sumon. Bananas cost less and earn more than any other crop, and they bear fruit quickly. Bananas also fetch a better price than other crops. The bananas in my garden are grown without pesticides. The yield is good and the fruit is very large. I don't have to take them to market; the traders come to the garden and buy them. Given the yield in the first year, I hope to make a profit of Tk 9 lakh."

He said: "I have a large fishery which needs a lot of banana leaves. The leaves cut from the garden every day are also used as feed for the fish, so I gain there too. In a few days I will also be able to sell banana saplings, which will bring more profit."

Rubel Mia works as a labourer in the banana garden. "I have worked here since the garden started. My daily wage is Tk 500, and that is how I support my family," he said.

Banana trader Abul Hossain said: "I have been in the banana trade for 30 years. I have never seen champa bananas grow as big and plump as those in Anar bhai's garden. I am buying each bunch from the garden for Tk 700 to 800. Once the bananas ripen we will be able to sell each bunch for Tk 1,000 or 1,100."

Sub-assistant agriculture officer Nasiruzzaman Sumon said: "There is no other banana garden this big in the upazila. This kind of banana farming has drawn a big response in the area. The Department of Agricultural Extension in the Sadar upazila will give full support to new entrepreneurs. Bananas can be harvested within 11 months of planting. Seeing the garden, many farmers in the area are showing interest in banana farming and are constantly getting in touch to take saplings."

Upazila agriculture officer Fahima Akter Fahim said: "The agriculture department is working to produce safe crops and is giving farmers advice and support in various ways. This season, various banana varieties have been grown on 1,600 hectares in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila. With no disease outbreaks, the upazila has had a bumper banana crop this season."

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