Maulana Moniruzzaman Rifat has found success growing longan, known locally as kathlichu or anshfal, in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur. The returnee migrant entrepreneur is now widely talked about. This year he has sold Tk 10 lakh worth of fruit from 100 trees of two varieties on 2 acres of land, and this season he also plans to sell 1,000 saplings raised in his orchard for at least Tk 10 lakh.

His farm and orchard are in Jotkrishtai village of Bhiail union in the upazila. He is also a successful poultry farmer; his farm is called M/s Probash Bondhu Poultry and Chicks. Longan now sells in the country's markets for Tk 500 to Tk 900 a kg, with Dhaka and Chattogram the biggest markets for the fruit.

A visit to the orchard found more than 50 longan trees around the edge of about 2 acres of land, every one of them bearing fruit. Two Vietnamese varieties, Pinkon and Ping Pong, are grown there. Demand for longan is rising as a new, high-value fruit in the country.

According to the agriculture department, if proper care and market management can be ensured, commercial cultivation of the fruit could open profitable opportunities for farmers in Dinajpur and the wider northern region. Although it is grown on a limited scale in Bangladesh, this is the first time a commercial harvest has come in Dinajpur.

Moniruzzaman Rifat worked for a long time in the administrative department of a company in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where he first came across the fruit. "In Abu Dhabi I often saw kathlichu, or longan, in fruit baskets. The locals ate it with great interest. I ate it too. That is when my interest in the fruit began," he said.

"After returning home in 2022 I bought 50 saplings for about Tk 3,500 from the nursery of a man named Kamruzzaman in Chuadanga. Later I collected another 75 saplings. I planted them around my poultry farm on my own 2 acres of land. After just four to five years of care, every tree is now bearing fruit," he said.

"Last year I sold about Tk 5 lakh worth of fruit. With the amount of fruit this year, I have so far sold at least Tk 10 lakh worth. Many farmers and entrepreneurs from neighbouring districts have become interested after seeing the orchard, and many have bought saplings from me," he said.

"I am selling saplings for Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500 depending on size. I have about 1,000 saplings. I can earn at least Tk 10 lakh by selling them. Demand is very high, but I cannot supply as much as is wanted," he added.

Chirirbandar upazila agriculture officer Zohra Sultana, an agriculturist, said: "This is the first commercial kathlichu, or longan, orchard in Chirirbandar. Almost all the trees, which are four to five years old, have fruited. Longan, lychee and rambutan belong to the same plant family. The Vietnamese Ping Pong longan grown here has relatively little disease and pest attack. Fruit can be produced safely with very little pesticide."

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