Farmers in Tarash, Sirajganj, are turning to integrated fish farming. A few years ago the land beside ponds in the area lay empty; now they are planting banana gardens on those empty pond banks, and bananas are bringing extra income alongside fish.

On-the-ground reporting found that local fish farmers have taken up banana growing on pond banks in a big way, and its prospects are growing day by day. Because it brings more profit at low cost, educated unemployed young people in particular are turning to bananas alongside fish.

Although fish did not fetch high prices this season, bananas sold at somewhat better prices, so fish farmers are making good profits. Banana gardens are springing up in every corner.

Local people are planting banana suckers not only on pond banks but also on land beside roads in the upazila and in empty spaces around homes. Many banana gardens have been set up on fallow land as well as on arable land.

Farmers here have found success with bananas, so many are sharecropping other people's land to plant gardens, and some are trying gardens on fallow land beside their homes.

Where local farmers cannot make a profit from other crops, they are succeeding with integrated fish farming. As the number of fish ponds grows, banana gardens are increasing day by day and new farmers are joining in. Fish farmers here are earning large sums at the end of the year from acres of banana gardens.

Local fish farmer Firoz Ali said: "I have been growing bananas on pond banks for two years and made a good profit before. So this year I planted banana trees along all six of my ponds. The bananas will be ready for sale in a few months. Depending on their age, different plants bear bunches almost all year round. A bunch of green bananas sells wholesale for Tk 250 to 350, depending on the type."

Upazila Agriculture Officer Lutfunnahar Luna said the number of people interested in growing bananas in Tarash is rising day by day. Bananas have been grown on 17 hectares in Tarash this season, and because the profit is high compared with the cost, farmers are dropping other crops for bananas.

She said the number of farmers growing bananas on pond banks alongside fish has also risen a great deal. Sub-assistant agriculture officers are visiting the fields and giving banana growers the advice and guidance they need.

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