<i>Of delicious guava, delighted farmers</i>
Two upazilas of Ctg see bumper output
Rawshanhat in Chandanaish upazila under Chittagong district sees abundant supply of guava as nearby Kanchan Nagar area, famous for delicious varieties of the popular rainy season fruit, sees bumper yield this year.Photo: STAR
Guava farmers of Chandanaish and Patiya upazilas under the district are happy due to its bumper production in the area famous for producing delicious varieties of the popular rainy season fruit this year. Wholesale traders from different areas now come to Raoshan Hat, Bagicha Hat, Badamtoli and Dohazari of Chandanaish upazila and Kamol Munshir Hat and Kharana bus stand of Patiya upazila where the growers come with baskets full of guava daily. Guavas are cultivated in around one thousand acres of hilly land in the two upazilas in the southern part of Chittagong district and the fruit worth around Tk six crore is sold on an average every season, said sources of Patiya and Chandanaish upazila agriculture offices. Besides, there are a large number of guava orchards in the plain lands of the two upazilas, local farmers said. Farmers also cultivate mango, jackfruit, litchi, lemon and other fruits in the area. Guava of Kanchan Nagar village in Kanchanabad union of Chandanaish upazila has earned special reputation for its taste and size. "This variety of delicious guava grows in this area by virtue of the soil and environment. If you sow the seeds of this variety in another area, you won't get the same delicious guava,” Dr M Abdul Gafur, professor of botany in Chittagong University, said. Badi Alam, who has cultivated guava in eight acres of land, said, "Ten people work at my orchards for daily wage ranging from Tk 250 to Tk 330. A pair of baskets containing about 500 guavas was sold at Tk 1,500 early this season. The price fell to Tk 500 in the middle of the season. Now the price is Tk 800 to Tk 1,000." "If a farmer works hard and takes proper care of the orchards, he can make profit of up to Tk 1.5 lakh per acre by selling guava in a season. But in absence of any storage facility in the area we are often deprived of fair prices as the perishable item has to be sold quickly,” he said. “We cultivate guava as family tradition for generations. Many hill areas, once filled with dense thorny bushes, were cleaned and prepared for cultivation of fruits including guava,” he added. Thousands of people work in the guava orchards spreading from Mujaffarabad to Dohazari in Chandanaish upazila during the season from the middle of Bangla month of Ashar to early Ashwin, said farmer Jamal Mia. He alleged that officials of local agriculture office hardly come to these orchards or extend any logistic support for guava cultivation. Asked about the matter, Abu Kausar Md Sarwar, agriculture extension officer of Chandanaish upazila, said the deputy assistant agriculture officers regularly make field level visits at their blocks and the upazila agriculture office always provides suggestions to the farmers when they come there. He suggested arranging storage facilities in the area and operating more trains from Dohazari station to Chittagong to facilitate better transport of guava to different parts of the country. Contacted, Chandanaish Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khaled Mehedi Hasan said they have a plan to establish a cold storage and build a centre beside ChittagongCox's Bazar highway to popularise the tasty varieties of guava among people from different areas of the country.
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