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Shipping litchis to UAE opens door to export abroad

Published : Saturday, 3 June, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 1131

Shipping litchis to UAE opens door to export abroad

Shipping litchis to UAE opens door to export abroad

Litchis grown by bagging method  is being exported for the first time to UAE. Eco-friendly harvesting helps litchis maintain a peculiar skin tone of deep red colour.

Eco-friendly Bangladeshi litchis have huge demand in the international market but pests and pesticide control were more challenging.  Bagging technology has started gaining popularity among litchi farmers in Pabna.

This method has improved the yield of the delicious and tasty summer fruit for the first time in the history of the country.

The litchi growers are being financed by World Bank with support from Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)'s Sustainable Enterprise Project (SEP).

This project implemented by Organization for Social Advancement and Cultural Activities - OSACA is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) There are varieties of  litchis, including Bombai, Kadmi Bedana and China-3.

Md Rafiqul Haque Project Manager of OSACA, SEP-Litchi Project told the Daily Observer that Eco-friendly litchis are being exported for the first time to UAE which has opened the door for shipping litchis abroad.  

The Bangladeshi litchis are more tasty than those of other countries  so there is a great demand for the Bangladeshi fruit.

The technology has been introduced to the litchi growers of Pabna district through the Organization for Social Advancement and Cultural Activities (OSACA) which is implementing the project at the field level, he added.

Dr Md Sorof Uddin, Senior Scientific Officer, Pomology Division of the Horticulture Research Centre at BARI in Gazipur, said, Bangladesh is  second  in litchi production in the world.

But Bangladesh is not able to exploit the opportunity to export litchis. To find out and solve the reason for this, he investigated the results of bagging of litchis.

About the results and benefits of bagging the litchi, he said, if litchis are bagged, litchi farmers do not have to repeatedly spray chemical pesticides on litchis to control insects. As a result it is economically beneficial, while the consumers get an environmentally safe result.

Bagged litchis are large in size and attractive in colour. Bagging prevents litchis from pest attack resulting in insect free litchi production. And because there is no presence of chemicals, there is no restriction on exporting bagged litchis to foreign countries.

"This fruit bagging technology was developed by Pomology Division of BARI in 2021.
Litchi is one of the most popular sub-summer evergreen fruits in Bangladesh.

It is usually available in the market in the month of May. However, litchi is also available in June along with other fresh juicy fruits like mango and jackfruit. Pabna district is the second largest litchi growing region in Bangladesh.

At present litchi is being cultivated in 4,831 hectares of land in Pabna. Of these, 3,100 hectares of land is cultivated only in Ishwardi Upazila area.

Generally, more than 12 tonnes of litchis are produced per hectare. However, due to unfavourable weather conditions in 2021, eight and a half tonnes of litchis have been produced per hectare, according to sources.

Md Shamim Pramanik, a farmer of Char Khadim of Salimpur in Ishwardi Upazila of Pabna, had attained success in improving the quality and yield of the tasty fruit litchi by using the bagging technology.

Shahinnur Rahman Shahink, a farmer of Char Sahdiar area under Pabna Sadar Upazila, has also promoted the bagging technology this year as per suggestions of the local office of the Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Fruit Research Centre.

Shahin told this correspondent that he has been able to enhance yield to a great extent. He also harvested litchis bigger in size and of deep red colour.

He was provided with fruit bags under the SEP sub-project and he grew 25 to 30 litchis in each bag. He harvested 4,000 bulbs from the tree last year whereas this year's yield is more than 6,000.

No fruit drop occurred from the trees by storm as a result of using fruit bagging technology that also prevented attacks and damages by litchi fruit borers, bats, squirrels, birds and rodents which contributed a lot to boost the yield.

As the litchi fruits were protected inside the bag its size and colour became attractive. These litchis are 100 per cent chemical free, asserted Shahin. Detailing his personal experience and expertise he said before expansion among the farmers he used the technology by himself.

According to PKSF the perks of using bio-degradable fruit bags are many. the fruit bags being safe and biodegradable, the technology is extremely safe and environment-friendly. They pack the fruits using environment-friendly bags and materials.

Furthermore, the most interesting part of the process is traceability. By scanning the QR code on the cover of the bags, one directly finds out who the grower is and where it came from. This could also pave the way for exporting the fruits to overseas markets.







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