Coffee, orange trees dying for water crisis in CHT
Orange trees at a mixed fruits orchard at Boropilak in Ramgarh upazila of Khagrachhari district are dying due to water crisis. Such orchards, raised with the assistance of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB), see very little supervision by CHTDB officials, growers alleged.Photo: STAR
Hundreds of coffee and orange trees at several mixed fruits orchards in Chittagong Hill Tracts are dying because of shortage of water and lack of proper nursing. As a result, the 'Mixed Fruits Orchards' project run by Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB) in eight upazilas is going to fail its target and many rehabilitated farmers will be affected in the long run. CHTDB officials said they planted the orchards in 1999, under a Tk 1,288 crore rehabilitation programme and rehabilitated more than 450 households on 1350 acres of government land. They provided farmers with saplings, fertiliser, insecticides, water pumps and some other assistance, said the officials. The present government has also extended the project after allocating Tk 5.4 crore more, they added. But the farmers alleged many orange and coffee trees died in the last couple of years due to government neglect. Mohammad Nur Hossain, a farmer of Baropilak village in Khagrachhari district, said he planted about 200 coffee seedlings and 200 orange saplings provided free by CHTDB in 1999. “Many coffee and orange trees of my orchards are dying due to shortage of watering. We submitted several applications to CHTDB authorities but no official came to resolve the crisis,” he alleged. Later Sindukchhari army zone commander Lt Col Kamrul Islam gave him a water pump to ensure watering facilities in his orchard, he said. In April, the same commander also made a dam in the area to create a permanent water source for 25 orchards and 300 families, he added. Korunamoy Chakma, a farmer of Babuchhara village, also alleged they did not get assistance from CHTDB. Shyamol Chakma, Khagrachhari project coordinator of CHTDB, said they always encouraged CHT farmers to take care of the orchards as the crops included coffee and oranges, which had satisfactory harvests in last couple of years. “We are providing farmers all sorts of assistance including technical support for the fruit orchards,” he said. Project Director Shafiqul Islam said farmers are getting a handsome output from CHTDB-assisted orchards. Some trees might be dying due to various crises, he added. Denying the allegations by farmers, he said his officials visited most of the orchards.
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