Local youth Nazmul Hossain has succeeded in growing the foreign fruit rambutan on a trial basis for the first time in Longadu, in the hill district of Rangamati. He planted 32 rambutan saplings as a trial at his home in the Mohajon Para area of Bogachattar union in the upazila.

Nazmul said he learned about the saplings from YouTube and had to go to Shibpur in Narsingdi district to get them, buying them at Tk 3,000 each. He then did everything from planting to care by watching YouTube. He has spent about Tk 5 lakh. The fruit fetches a good price, and the young man wants to succeed commercially too.

"Because the fruit is new, it is not yet well known to people. Even so, there is plenty of demand. At present I can sell rambutan at Tk 1,000 a kg in the market. If I get help from the local agriculture office, there is a chance of commercial success," he told Jagonews24.

Locals say many people keep coming to see the fruit, which people in the hill region had never seen before. They believe commercial cultivation would benefit the country and its people, and many are planning to grow it after seeing his farm.

Longadu sub-assistant agriculture officer Moshraf Hossain said: "Young farmer Nazmul has made a stir by growing rambutan in the hills for the first time. Since he has succeeded with this foreign fruit on a trial basis, we will give him every kind of help to make it a commercial success."

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