The hill district of Rangamati gets a good crop of seasonal fruit every summer, and this year litchis have yielded heavily. The fruit is grown in Naniarchar, Barkal, Bilaichhari, Kaptai and other upazilas. Because Rangamati litchis are juicy and sweet, they are in demand in the district town as well as in Chattogram, Dhaka and other districts, and growers are pleased with the prices.

Litchi grower Ratan Kumar Chakma said: "I have orchards of different fruits across two acres of hill, mostly litchi trees. Because I cared for them well from the start, my orchard has given a very good yield this year. I don't sell at market; traders come and buy the litchis from the orchard. This year I am also getting better prices than in other years."

Another grower, Harimohan Tanchangya, said every tree in his orchard had borne well this year. "There was no pest attack, and because I followed the advice of agriculture office officials, far fewer litchis were spoiled than in other years," he said. "I have sold some litchis and got about Tk 1.5 lakh. Several more trees still have fruit, and I hope to get a good price."

Seasonal fruit trader Ramjan Ali said he sends litchis, mangoes and jackfruit from Rangamati to Chattogram and Dhaka every year. Litchis from here are tasty, sweet and juicy, so they are in demand across the country.

According to the agriculture department, litchis are grown on 1,800 hectares in Rangamati: 400 hectares of China-3, 450 hectares of China-2 and the remaining 950 hectares of local litchi. The crop's market value is about Tk 350 crore.

Md Moniruzzaman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangamati, told Jago News that although there was drought early in the season, rain a few days ago helped the litchi crop. Litchis from the area are in demand nationwide because they are juicy and have small seeds.

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