Coriander farming is growing in Narail's three upazilas, as farmers turn to the crop because it costs little and earns more. The agriculture office said coriander was grown on 150 hectares in the district last year. This year the target for the three upazilas was set at 150 hectares, but coriander has been grown on 680 hectares.

Against the target, coriander farming in the district has increased three and a half times. Of the three upazilas, Lohagara has the most, with about 450 hectares in Lohagara alone this season.

The Lohagara agriculture office said the upazila's sandy loam and loam soils are good for spice crops, and the upazila is suited to coriander, groundnut and onion. Little coriander was grown in the area last season, but it has been grown widely this season.

Farmers said most of it has been grown on high land and homestead land. With less severe cold and less dense fog, growers expect a good coriander yield this year. If they get the market prices they hope for, they will benefit financially.

Coriander is sown by broadcasting in Ashwin-Kartik and harvested in Falgun-Chaitra. With favourable weather, there has been little disease this year. Because of market demand, farmers also earn by selling the leaves while the plants are young.

Farmer Tajibar Sheikh said: "After preparing the land you just have to broadcast coriander seed. Fertiliser, pesticide and labour costs for this crop are also low, so coriander is grown at a nominal cost. Each bigha yields 3 to 4 maunds."

Farmer Aktar Talukder said: "I expect a good coriander yield this year. Coriander sells in the market for Tk 6,000 to 8,000 a maund. If the yield is good in the end, we will make money."

Imanuddin of Gandab village and Motiar Rahman of Chachai village said swarms of honeybees are roaming among the green leaves and white flowers to collect honey in Rajupur, Baka, Shinga, Dighalia, Mallikpur, Chachai, Debi, Sharshuna and Satrahajari in the upazila. Honey farmers, meanwhile, are setting up beehive boxes beside the coriander fields to collect honey.

Lohagara upazila agriculture officer Samaren Biswas said: "Because coriander has low costs and little disease, farmers have turned to it more than in other seasons. That is why more coriander will be produced than our target."

Chinmoy Roy, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said: "Farmers in the area are profiting more from coriander. There is good demand for coriander leaves in the market. With low production costs and high profits, farmers are turning to coriander."

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