‘Chukai’ not that sour, really!

Several farmers in flood-prone areas of Netrakona's Barhatta upazila -- an area dotted with wetlands or haors -- are delighted to find the sweeter side of a local sour fruit that is locally known as 'chukai'. 

People elsewhere are relatively unfamiliar with this fruit, but it is cultivated in small-scale in different areas of Barhatta, for personal consumption in the form of jam and pickles or as an ingredient in different local dishes cooked with small fish or lentil, locals said.

Dudu Mia, a farmer from Bhatipara village in Singdha union, said he started growing chukai commercially this year and he made a good profit from its sales.

"I've been growing chukai for personal consumption for more than 10 years. But this year, I cultivated 1,500 chukai plants around my house, on banks of a canal and several ponds for commercial cultivation and the profit [from the harvest] is beyond my imagination."

Earlier this year, during three back-to-back flash floods, around 500 of the plants were damaged. "Like many other farmers, I was also seriously affected in this year's floods, but the profit from chukai cultivation has helped me a lot in coping with financial crisis," said Dudu.

Taking care of the plants is quite easy and the cost of cultivation is really low -- Tk 5,000 for 1,500 plants. "I started to sell the fruits in August, for Tk 100 each kilogram on an average and these are still selling well. So far, the profit has been more than Tk 2 lakh," said Dudu, who was all smiles. 

Rob Mia, a farmer from the same village, said he also made a profit of over Tk 1 lakh so far from fruits harvested from 400 chukai plants.

"I'll go for commercial cultivation of more chukai plants next season," he said, adding that a number of farmers from surrounding villages, including Basaura, Durgapur, Dharam and Chandrapur, have been showing interest in chukai cultivation commercially.

Muhaiminur Rashid, agriculture officer in Barhatta upazila, said, "If chukai could be cultivated commercially, hundreds of haor farmers would benefit greatly and make a good living for a small cost."

The red fruit also has use as natural fruit colouring, he said, adding that it is available mostly at markets in Barhatta and Mohanganj upazilas and it has some demands in Dhaka as well.

Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension in Netrakona Habibur Rahman said they have been running campaigns to create awareness among haor farmers towards benefits of cultivating different vegetables and fruits such as chukai, aside from the cultivation of rice traditionally.