Betel nuts supporting farmers make a fortune
Betel nut farming features changed the good luck of many farmers found in Nilphamari district as the crop is more lucrative than many others thanks to its nature of offering high yield with little care and handsome market price.
Because of its exceptionally good taste, the betel nut grown in the district has high demand among traders around the country.
While visiting different villages like Chilahati, Uttor Ketkibari, Chandkhana of Domar upazila and Dakkhin Kharibari, Gayabari, Nautara in Dimla upazila, this correspondent found big betel nut orchards occupying 2-10 acres of land.
Possibly rows of betel nut plants were within nearly every house yard and boundary lines of farm lands.
Betel nut was grown this season on 4,000 acres of land to create around 5,000 tonnes of the crop, said Imran Ahmed, sub associate agriculture officer of the district office of the Section of Agricultural Expansion (DAE).
"High alluvial land is well suited for betel nut farming which kind of soil is available in the spot, which is the major reason behind its acreage to visit a rise."
"There happen to be 2,200 trees in my own two-acre orchard, that I expect to get five lakh bits of nuts and offer those at Tk 15 lakh as the peak production season is certainly going on," said Habibur Rahman, a 50-year-good old Betel nut farmer of Dakkhin Kharibari village found in Dimla upazila.
Abdul Kader of Chilahati village in Domar said he includes a three-acre orchard.
"Only Tk 50 is required to take care of a betel nut tree while fertiliser and labour cost. But 320 pieces of betel nuts worthy of Tk 1,280 can be yielded from each tree on the average," stated the 60-year-old farmer.
Around 12-15 trucks of betel nuts head to different destinations out of this market in each haat working day that sits in every Fri and Tuesday, said Abdul Khaleque, 65, a good lessee of Dimla.
Various backward linkage industries linked to betel nut farming have also been developed in the area, he said.
Betel nut harvesting begins in mid-April and it continues before last of June, said farmer Intaj Ali of Chandkhana village found in Domar.
Betel nut features emerged as a income crop in the area and many young business owners have found it seeing that a profitable business, said Abdul Wahed Sarker, ex - president of Nilphamari Chamber of Commerce and Sector.
The entrepreneurs send their produce to numerous locations in Dhaka, Chattogram, Bogura and additional cities, which can be playing a essential role in changing the socio-economic scenario of the region, he said.
"We encourage farmers to go for crop diversification," said Abu Bakkar Siddique, deputy director of the district workplace of the DAE.
"With the assistance of our field staff, more farmers are actually coming into betel nut creation and earning a lot more than they apply to earn from traditional crops."
