The seasonal kul (jujube) market at Beltala Bazar in Sharsha upazila, Jashore, is bustling with commercial trade. All the wholesale depots here come alive during the mango and kul seasons. Every day the fruit is sent from here to the capital and other divisional cities. Kul has now become known as a cash crop in the area; in some places it is called boroi.

The fruit is grown across the fields of Sharsha and Kalaroa, border upazilas of Jashore and Satkhira districts, and the surrounding area. More and more farmers are turning to kul farming.

At the market, Sundari Ball kul is now selling at Tk 70 a kg, Thai kul at Tk 60, sour kul at Tk 60, China kul at Tk 40 and Kashmiri kul at Tk 30.

Local kul grower Ataur Rahman said: "I have been growing kul for 10 years. This year I grew it on 10 bighas; last year it was eight bighas. I have a much bigger crop than last year and am selling at high prices. If I can keep selling like this until the end, I will make a good profit this year."

He said he had sold kul at other markets before, but had never made the profit he made at Beltala Bazar, because the depot owners here sell at the right price and correct weight and do not play tricks with the money.

Paresh Chandra Sarkar and Tohidur Rahman, traders from Jamalpur, said: "I have been dealing in mango, kul, watermelon, pineapple and other fruit for 15 years, so I come to the Beltala fruit market every year. The kul harvest in the country is much bigger than expected this year, yet the price is still high. We are buying at high prices and selling at high prices too. As demand is high, we can sell at a good price."

Local depot owners Al-Ujayer (Sujon), Abdur Razzak and Abul Kalam (Azad) said the kul yield is much higher this year than last. With high demand and prices, their business is good and farmers are very happy. They said farmers can sell at the right weight and price at this market, which is why they come here. Kul is bought and sold from noon to 7pm.

Lokman Hossain, president of the Beltala Bazar fruit traders' association, said they want all possible support from the administration so farmers and traders can do business without trouble. Much more kul was grown this year than last, and farmers have profited far more. If another year or two go like this, he is hopeful that Beltala Bazar, already famous in the south of Bangladesh as a mango market, will also become known as a kul market.

Sharsha upazila agriculture officer Dipak Kumar Saha said 300 farmers have grown kul on a total of 70 hectares this year. On visiting Beltala Bazar he found that farmers have mostly grown a handful of varieties such as Ball Sundari, Thai, Apple, China and sour kul, and have profited, so they will grow this profitable fruit again next year.

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