Lychee orchards in Mongolbaria, Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj, have produced less this year because of a prolonged heatwave and hailstorms. Orchard owners fear they will not see the profits they hoped for, and owners and traders alike are glum.

Mongolbaria is known to everyone as the lychee village. Its lychees travel beyond the country, with expatriates carrying them abroad, and lychee lovers from Dhaka and other parts of the country flock to Mongolbaria.

About 200 years ago, someone is said to have brought a seedling from China and planted it in Mongolbaria village, in the Pakundia municipal area. Locals praised the lychee for its high yield and small seed, and grafted saplings soon spread to every house in the village. Because it was profitable, villagers quickly took up commercial production, and lychee trees now grace homes across the area.

According to the Pakundia upazila agriculture office, Mongolbaria has more than 5,000 lychee trees. About Tk 7 crore worth of lychees was sold from the area last year, but this year the severe heatwave has caused a crop failure.

Lychee grower Al Amin, met in front of Mongolbaria Kamil Madrasa, said: "Every year sales run to several lakh taka, but this year the yield is very low because of the continuous heatwave. In all I'll sell about Tk 70,000. The agriculture office gave various help and advice from the start of the heatwave, but the yield still wasn't good."

Rajib Mia, a local grower and the area's biggest lychee trader, said: "Others' trees have no lychees, but mine are comparatively good because I watered them at the right time. I sprayed water on the trees regularly as the agriculture office advised, so my yield is fairly good."

Lychee buyer Shanto Hussain said: "I had heard of the fame of Mongolbaria's lychees, so I came here to buy. I'm disappointed by the price. A hundred lychees cost Tk 1,000. Even though the quality isn't good, a hundred are selling for Tk 1,000."

Raihan Uddin, who also came to buy, said: "Many people come from different parts of the country for Mongolbaria's lychees. Their smell and taste are different, so we came to buy straight from the trees. But this time the crop hasn't been good."

Pakundia upazila agriculture officer Nur-e-Alam said: "There are over 5,000 lychee trees, large and small, in the Mongolbaria area. Every year about Tk 5 to 7 crore worth of lychees is sold from this village. This time the yield is very low because of the severe heatwave, about a third of last year's. The agriculture office gave farmers advice and equipment so they could water the trees, but the yield was still low."

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