Rajbari's largest dragon fruit orchard has grown up in Bajitpur village, Basantapur union, Rajbari Sadar. According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension and local sources, about 4,000 dragon fruit plants now stand on roughly two acres, hung with ripe red and pink fruit.
Owners and workers say each plant has borne 10 to 12 kg of fruit on average. At the peak of the season the orchard yields about 50 maunds (2,000 kg) of fresh fruit a day. It sells for Tk 150 a kilogram in the local wholesale market and goes to wholesale markets in Faridpur, Kushtia and Dhaka.
Orchard manager Jomadi Ul Alam said the soil and climate suit dragon fruit, and balanced fertiliser, timely irrigation and regular care from the start produced an unexpectedly good crop; they are avoiding misuse of chemicals to grow safe fruit.
Saiful Islam, a fruit wholesaler from Faridpur, said the orchard's fruit is large and of good quality and in high demand, so he buys here regularly to sell in Faridpur. Local buyers such as Rafiqul Islam of Bajitpur also come to the orchard to buy fresh fruit straight from the plants.
Sub-assistant agriculture officer Md Mostak Khan said farmers' interest in dragon fruit is growing, and field staff visit regularly to advise on modern methods, balanced fertiliser use and disease control. The report is by Kazi Tanvir Mahmud, Dhaka Mail's Rajbari correspondent.
Photo: VinetVas17 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); a representative picture of a dragon fruit plantation
Source: Dhaka Mail
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