Litchi flowering makes Rangpur farmers happy

A superb flowering in litchi trees continues amid favorable climatic conditions this season making farmers happy with a prospect of bumper production of the juicy fruit in Rangpur agriculture region. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said some 85 percent of litchi trees in the orchards and homesteads on around 1,800 hectares of land in all five districts of the region have already bloomed as the process continues smoothly. “The fabulous flowering in litchi trees has created a real hope of bounteous production of the juiciest, fleshy and tasty seasonal fruit for farmers this season in the region,” Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said.

After getting repeated bumper production with excellent market prices in recent times, farmers are expanding commercial basis litchi farming every year as many of them have changed fortunes through litchi cultivation in the last 12 years in the region.

“Farmers are producing litchi in the tune of 15,000 to 17,000 tonnes worth about Taka 150 crore on an average adopting latest technologies with the DAE assistance every year in the region during the last 12 years,” he said. Farmers have already become busy with agronomic management in their litchi orchards to ensure better production of the fruit though the flowering process will continue till the middle of March across the region.

Talking to Bangladesh News, bigger litchi farmers Abdur Rahim, Shah Alam, Manik Mian, Aminur Rahman, Mokhlesur Rahman and Echhahaq Ali of different villages in Rangpur Sadar expressed satisfaction over excellent budding in their litchi trees. Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Md. Mamunur Rashid said outstanding blooming in litchi trees amid favourable climatic conditions predicts bumper production of the fruit this time like in the previous seasons. “Farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding, hybrid and local varieties litchi like China-3, ‘Bedana’, Bombay, ‘Muzaffarpuri’, ‘Madrazi’ and ‘Kanthali’ in their orchards to get better output with lucrative markets prices,” he said.

Litchi farming on commercial basis has already become a profitable venture and created a silent economic revolution in the agriculture sector bringing self-reliance to hundreds of farmers in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region in the last 12 years. “A brighter prospect is prevailing to further expand litchi cultivation in the region,” Rashid said, and stressed on establishing fruit-processing industries to produce export quality products from litchi for exporting abroad to earn foreign exchequer.

Expressed his satisfaction over excellent budding in litchi trees, Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Dr. Md. Sarwarul Haque predicted a bumper production of the seasonal fruit this season. He said field level agriculture officials of the DAE are providing latest technologies to farmers to assist them in taking extensive care of blooming litchi trees to get bumper production of the fruit this season.