Betel nut farming popular in Pirojpur 

PIROJPUR, Oct 7: Betel nut farming is getting popular in the district day by day as it is comparatively easier than any other crops and requires zero pesticide and insecticide.

The soil and weather of the district is favourable for its farming. In few cases, Tk 20 per betel nut tree is needed.  
 
This season, betel nut has been cultivated on 4,669 hectares of land and the yield target is 18,676 metric tons. The annual transaction related to betel nuts is Tk 800-850 crore, District Marketing Officer Abdul Mannan Hawlader claimed. 

A betel nut trader Forkan Ali said per piece raw betel nut is selling at Tk 2 to Tk 2.50 and per “Kuri” containing 210 pieces costs Tk 550 to Tk 600. Dried betel nuts are selling at Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 per kg. 

Raw betel nuts of the district are sent to Dhaka, Rangpur, Khulna, Chattogram, Bogura, Cumilla, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, while dried betel nuts go to Dhaka, Chattogram, Rangpur, Sylhet, and Jamalpur districts. 

Deputy Director of the District Department of Agricultural Extension Soumitra Sarkar said, “Betel nut farming is becoming popular in the district day by day as it is almost risk-free and profitable and requires minimum investment.”