Most people in the villages on both banks of the Baleshwar river in Pirojpur are involved in banana farming, and it is their main livelihood. Some variety of banana is produced all year round, and the local economy turns on the crop. Everywhere you look there are banana gardens, and inside them hang heavy bunches of fruit.

Rice is the main crop of Pirojpur, a southern district. But on both banks of the Baleshwar, which flows through the district, banana gardens have grown up on paddy land. Over time the paddy fields have disappeared and been replaced by bananas, changing the fortunes of several thousand people. The soil and climate suit the crop, and several thousand people work in growing, trading and transporting bananas.

Because Pirojpur bananas are in demand across the country and the river water suits the crop, varieties including Sagar, Sabri, Kabri, Kacha, Champa and Kanthali are grown all year. More than 80% of people in the area are involved in banana farming, and the area under the crop is growing day by day.

Banana farmer Monir Hossain said that with better transport, Pirojpur bananas are now sent directly by truck, launch or large trawler to Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chattogram and other parts of the country. Pirojpur bananas are also known nationwide for their distinct taste.

Farmer Md Jamal Khan said harvesting of Sabri, Sagar and green cooking bananas is in full swing this season. The season began about a month ago and will run for another two and a half to three months. Depending on the variety it costs Tk 150–230 to get fruit from one plant, which brings in Tk 300–600.

In past years storms and other natural disasters caused heavy damage to banana plants before harvest. Farmers are pleased that no such disaster has struck this year. The intense heat has also pushed up demand for bananas, so farmers are getting good prices.

Mohammad Nazrul Islam Sikder, deputy director of the DAE in Pirojpur, said farmers in the district are turning to bananas because they are more profitable than other crops. Many farmers buy harmful pesticides and hormones from the market and use them on the plants, and he urged them to consult the agriculture department before using such products.

With profits several times higher than from rice, farmers in the south are now keen on bananas, and many have changed their fortunes through growing or trading the fruit. Bananas worth crores of taka are sold from the area every year. This year bananas have been grown on 1,293 hectares in Pirojpur's seven upazilas, with an average yield of 14.86 tonnes per hectare.

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