Lemon farming is spreading fast in Moulvibazar, a district known for its tea. Low costs, good profits, few diseases and cash from lemons all year round are drawing farmers in. The district now grows lemon on 1,240 hectares, producing about 11,920 tonnes a year.
In Sreemangal upazila lemon is spreading across the hillocks and the flat land; the area has grown by 100 hectares in five years. Growers plant seedless, China, kagzi and jara varieties, of which kagzi and seedless are in most demand. Farmers pick every day and sell at local markets, and many wholesalers buy straight from the orchards; jeeps and handcarts bring the lemons to the wholesale sheds, from where they go across the country.
Jasim Mia, a lemon seller at Sreemangal's Notun Bazar, said that at the height of the season a lemon sells wholesale for Tk 2-10 depending on size; it now sells for Tk 15-35. Wholesaler Abdul Malek said the lemons coming into Sreemangal's market can hardly meet local demand, and traders from Dhaka and elsewhere buy there too. At the wholesale sheds a large lemon has averaged Tk 30, a medium one Tk 25 and a small one Tk 15.
Hotels and restaurants buy the most. Md Moynul Islam Sani, owner of Rizik Restaurant in Sreemangal, said they were broadly happy with the quality but high prices hurt customers. Selling direct from growers to buyers, he said, would cut out middlemen, give growers a fair price and let buyers pay less.
Despite the growth, lemons are not yet exported. Sreemangal upazila agriculture officer Md Alauddin said that to use the export potential the quality of the fruit must be kept up, with proper sorting, packaging, storage and better transport, and the demands and conditions of foreign markets met. Agriculture officials are therefore stressing better marketing and export openings alongside higher output.
The report is by Krishi Shomoy's Moulvibazar correspondent.
Photo: Shahnoor Habib Munmun / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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