Rajshahi city and the district's nine upazilas have had a bumper lychee crop this year. Even before the early local varieties have finished, the popular and flavoursome Bombai lychee has taken over the market. With good fruit size, colour and taste, growers and traders alike are enthusiastic.

According to the agriculture department, if favourable market conditions continue, lychee trade in Rajshahi could reach about Tk 56 crore this season.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi district said lychee has been grown on 528 hectares in the district's nine upazilas this season. A production target of 3,775 tonnes has been set for the local and Bombai varieties combined.

Agriculture officials say the yield is better than last year. Although there was some heatwave at the start of the season, favourable weather and rain later helped the fruit in most orchards develop good size and colour. Growers are especially pleased with the quality of the Bombai lychee, and in many cases wholesalers are buying directly from the orchards.

Abdur Rahim Sagar, a lychee grower in Godagari upazila, said: "Pest attacks were lower this time than in the last few years. I got a good price selling local lychees. Now I have started picking the Bombai lychees. Because the fruit quality is good, wholesalers are buying straight from the orchard."

Hanif Mahmud grows lychees on 40 trees next to Varendra University in the city's Chandrima police station area. He told Jagonews24: "There has been a bumper crop of lychee this time. Supply in the market is also good. Prices are still stable. Without the excessive drought, production could have been even better. If the weather stays good, I hope to make a good profit in the end."

Saiful Islam, a lychee trader in the Kashiadanga area of Rajshahi city, said: "Demand for Bombai lychee is quite good this time. Wholesalers from different districts are coming to Rajshahi and buying directly from the orchards. Because the fruit quality is good, prices in the market are also satisfactory. If the weather stays favourable, I expect business to pick up further until the end of the season."

A visit to various markets in Rajshahi city showed that the season for local lychees is almost over and large, juicy Bombai lychees now dominate. In the retail market, 100 good-quality lychees are selling for Tk 300 to 350. Wholesale trade has also picked up, and hundreds of trucks carry Rajshahi lychees to Dhaka and other parts of the country every day. While the small local lychees have worms, no pests are being found in the Bombai lychees.

Amid the joy of a bumper crop, growers have some worries. According to the agriculture department and farmers, excessive heat and abnormal swings in humidity have caused unripe and half-ripe lychees to crack in some parts of the district. After several days of continuous heat, a sudden rise in humidity is disrupting the normal growth of the fruit and splitting the skin.

Abdul Malek, a grower in Paba upazila, said: "Lychees are cracking in some orchards. The problem has appeared because humidity rose suddenly after intense heat. But proper care can reduce the damage a great deal."

People involved in farming say sudden changes in temperature and humidity make the lychee skin expand and contract quickly, so the fruit cracks in some cases. Production in most orchards in the district is still satisfactory, however.

Mohammad Nasir Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Rajshahi district, said there has been a bumper lychee crop in Rajshahi this year, but excessive drought early in the season caused lychees to crack in some areas. To deal with this, farmers were advised to give regular light irrigation and to mulch around the base of the trees to keep soil moisture stable, which has greatly reduced the risk of cracking. "If the weather stays favourable, we hope good production will continue until the end of the season and farmers will make the profit they hope for," he said.

Papia Rahman Mouri, additional deputy director (horticulture) of the DAE in Rajshahi, said both the production and the quality of lychees in Rajshahi are quite good this year. Favourable weather, regular care by growers and following the agriculture department's advice have produced satisfactory yields in most orchards. "At present there is strong demand for Bombai lychee in the market and wholesalers are collecting lychees directly from the orchards. If market conditions stay favourable, lychee sales in Rajshahi could reach about Tk 56 crore this season. Not only orchard owners but also commission agents, transport workers and thousands of others involved in the sector will benefit financially," she said.

The bumper yield, strong demand and plentiful supply of Bombai lychee have begun to have a positive effect on Rajshahi's economy, bringing new hope to the thousands of orchard owners, commission agents, transport workers and others in the trade. Favourable weather until the end of the season is now growers' biggest hope.

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