Dragon fruit farming gains traction
Dragon fruit has caught the attention of several young farmers in Lalmonirhat as they are increasingly showing interest in growing the tropical fruit because of higher demand.
Abu Taleb, the first commercial dragon fruit-grower in the northern district, started his orchard in 2019 when he was working at a private firm, inspired by videos on YouTube.
He invested Tk 5 lakh for the orchard on a 65-decimal land at his village home in Kumrihat of Aditmari upazila.
The trees started to bear fruits in only eight months. Now each tree yields 12 to 15 kilograms of fruit.
From the first harvest, he sold produce worth Tk 10,000 and gave away the rest, worth about Tk 70,000, to his relatives and neighbours.
He is happy for the bumper output this year and hopes to make around Tk 12 lakh in profit. Last week, he earned Tk 4 lakh by selling the fruit.
As the demand is good, the fruit is being sold for Tk 200 to Tk 250 a kg.
"Even if I sell them for Tk 50 per kg, I can still make a profit," he said.
"Initially, due to a lack of experience, I had spent extra in preparing the garden. Now I have gained enough knowledge to cultivate the fruit properly."
Fruit traders from the town are crowding at the orchard to buy the fruit.
Asad Hossain, a trader in the district town, said there was a high demand for the fruit among customers.
Traders sell each kg of the fruit at Tk 300-350. "Even we get advance payment from the customers as supply is limited since only a few farmers are growing it," he said.
Dragon fruit is an oval spiky, bright pink or yellow fruit of a cactus. There is tiny edible black seeds inside embedded in juicy, sweet pink or white flesh.
Though it is a tropical fruit native to Central America, it is also grown in many other countries in Southeast Asia, the US and Australia, and other tropical and subtropical regions.
Taleb also grows saplings of the fruit. So far, he has produced 3,200 saplings and is preparing to grow another 10,000. He sells each sapling at Tk 50.
Local farmer Ataur Rahman bought 150 saplings from Taleb in March. Taleb also explained to him the techniques to cultivate the fruit.
"If I find success during the trial farming, I will also start cultivating the fruit on a large scale," Rahman said.
Buoyed by Taleb's success, Shahed Ali, an educated youth from the same village, made a foray into dragon fruit farming.
He bought 200 saplings and planted them. He is taking preparation to grow more.
"There is a huge demand for the fruit. If it can be produced as per expectation, it can bring expected profits as well," he said.
Shamim Ashraf, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in the district, said proper and timely care was essential for the cultivation of the fruit, which grows only on high land.
"Although many farmers are keen to cultivate the fruit, they are unable to do so because a huge amount of investment is necessary."
According to Taleb, regular and proper care can produce a good yield, and only organic fertiliser should be used in its production.
He leased 100 decimals of land next to his garden, where he plans to plant 5,000 saplings this year.
"Once the garden is ready, it will fetch incomes for me for the next 20 years."
The 38-year-old now dreams of inspiring the educated and unemployed population in Lalmonirhat to get involved in dragon fruit farming.
