Cashew nut cultivation is increasing rapidly in 7 upazilas in Bandarban district. Bandarban's soil and climate is suitable for cashew nut cultivation, yield is available within three years of planting, ease of marketing, good price. Due to this reason, the Jhum farmers are leaning towards the cultivation of this fruit, said the local cashew nut farmers. Bandarban Agriculture Department and private organizations are supporting the farmers in cashew nut cultivation.
Red and yellow cashew nuts hang in bunches, locals call it Tham fruit, some call it cashnut. Its name in English is cashew nut. A small cashew nut orchard can be seen besides two roads in Bolipara union of Thanchi upazila, 80 kilometers away from the district town.
It was said that the farmers were once farmers who specialized in Jhum farming. However, Jhum farming is no longer profitable. Therefore, cashew nut farmers said that they are leaning towards permanent fruit cultivation. iIt was learned that they have already started collecting cashew nuts from the gardens and started marketing and are getting good prices. So now many people are interested in cashew nut cultivation.
Joseph Tripura of Bagan Para area of Thanchi Upazila Bolipara Union said that earlier he was only cultivating Jhum throughout the year and could not get food even for six months, from that thought he planned to start a permanent fruit garden and started cultivating cashew nuts in 4.5 acres of land in 2017. He said that he is expecting to get 20 maunds of cashew nuts this year.
Thanchi Sadar union Tuktong Para"s cashew nut farmer, Ting pao mro said he cultivated cashew nut in five acres, thirty families in their neighborhood all have cashew nut garden, he sold twenty five cashew nut last year for 3 thousand 600 taka. He got 90,000 taka, this year it is being sold at 4,500 taka per maund, but this year he was ill and could not take care of the cashew nut garden on time, so this year he is hoping to get about 15 maunds.
Sottya priyo Chakma, a resident of Gnanalal Para in Bolipara Union, said that earlier, he was dependent on Jhum cultivation for the whole year and could hardly get food for six months, so he started planting cashew nuts, mangoes and bananas with the idea of permanent fruit garden. He started cashew nut garden 7 years ago, after three years he started yielding, after yielding, last year he sold 20 maunds of cashew nut and got 84 thousand taka, the price was also good, he sold it at 4 thousand two hundred taka each, this year due to lack of rain, the flowers are very heavy. So expect to get only 10 to 15 marks this time.
Gardening on the hill therefore has to depend on nature, he thinks that if water can be arranged at the base of the tree before the yield comes, good yield can be obtained. Currently cashew nuts are being sold at 4,500 to 5,000 taka each, said the cashew nut farmer.
Cashew nut seedlings are produced and marketed at the government as well as private level. The project manager of LA Agro Company's nursery, which produces cashew nut seedlings on both sides of Bandarban Kerani Hat road in Bandarban Sadar Upazila Sualak Union, said. Zafar Iqbal Babu said that from his nursery, he is selling world-class M23 cashew nut seedlings at Tk 120 to Tk 150 per piece. He also said that he sold 1 lakh cashew nut seedlings last year.
Meanwhile, the field coordinator of Bangladesh Agriculture Products Limited, Rambo Tripura, said that they are buying cashew nuts from the farmers at Tk 4,000 to 4,500 per maund.
According to the office of Bandarban District Agricultural Extension Department, in the financial year 2020 - 2021, production of cashew nuts has been 1 thousand 3 hundred 23 metric tons. The target for the current financial year is said to be yet to be determined.
Shah Niaz, Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department, said that Bandarban's soil and climate are very suitable for cashew nut cultivation, diseases are less, yield is available within three years of planting, marketing facilities, farmers are getting good prices. That is why farmers are getting interested in cashew nut cultivation day by day, he said.