RAJSHAHI, June 27: The local farmers are being gradually interested in banana cultivation as they got much profit recently.
Now, banana is being considered as a cash crop of the district.
Due to low price of banana in the previous years, the farmers were frustrated, but now both the farmers and the traders are happy as they are getting fair price of the produce.
Now, per cluster of banana is selling at Tk 400 in the local market.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi said, banana has been cultivated on more than 1,070 hectares of land last year, and this year more 496 ha of lands were added to this cultivation.
Farmers said banana cultivation is more profitable than any other crops. Different kinds of bananas including Anupam, Chapa, Meher Sagar and Manik have been cultivated in the district on commercial basis.
The price of banana is comparatively more than other crops. Generally, banana seeds are sowed in the Bengali month of Baishakh and ripe in Agrahayan. The banana grows well on those lands where rain water does not stand for more than a week.
At least 300 to 350 seeds can be planted on one bigha of land. If anybody spends Tk 20,000 to 25,000 for the cultivation of banana on one bigha of land, they can earn profit of Tk 80,000 to 1,00,000.
Banana is cultivated highest in Puthia Upazila. Farmer Hajji Sultan Ahmed of Baneshwar area in the upazila said due to favourable weather this year, banana has been cultivated on about five bighas of land. He also said he spent Tk 20,000 to 25,000 for cultivating banana last year and sold it at Tk 70,000 to 80,000.
Deputy Director of the Rajshahi DAE Dev Dulal Dhali said banana is a profitable crop. This year the farmers cultivated banana on more lands in the hope of getting more profit at a lower cost. He hoped that the farmers will benefit if no natural disaster occurs.
Banana has been cultivated on 1,496 ha of land in different upazilas of the district. Of those, 12 ha were cultivated in Motihar, 10 ha in Boalia, 225 ha in Paba, 30 ha in Mohanpur, one ha in Tanore, 10 ha in Godagari, 83 ha in Bagha, 234 ha in Durgapur, 140 ha in Baghmara, 100 ha in Charghat, and 650 ha in Puthia Upazila.
