Commercial farming of dragon fruit has been gaining popularity day by day in Jhenidah for the last couple of years.
Farmers said they are opting for dragon fruit farming as successful yield of the delicious fruit brings substantial amount of profit to them.
As a result, many growers in the district are now showing interest in cultivating dragon fruit for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, considering the farmers' interest some local youths set up a wholesale dragon fruit market at Gourinathpur in Moheshpur upazila.
Farmers claimed that the market, which started in July this year, is the country's first wholesale dragon fruit market.
While visiting the wholesale market recently, this correspondent saw there are at least 30 vendors at the market, where many jobless youths are earning their livelihood.
According to Jhenidah Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a total of 842 hectares of land in all the six upazilas of the district have been brought under dragon fruit cultivation this year. Mentionable, dragon was cultivated in only 203 hectares of land in 2022, compared to 151 hectares the previous year.
Farmers and traders said dragon are selling for Tk 180 to Tk 200, depending on its quality, at Moheshpur wholesale market.
Dragon fruits worth nearly Tk 1 crore are being sold at the wholesale market every day, traders claimed.
Farmer Ashadul Islam said earlier he used to cultivate different seasonal crops on two to three bighas land, but now he is cultivating dragon fruits on five to six 6 bighas as it is much profitable compared to other crops.
Another grower Mohiuddin Mondol said he is cultivating dragon fruits on eight to ten bighas for the last couple of years and earning a profit of Tk 10 to Tk 12 lakh every year.
Shahinur Rahman, one of the vendors at Moheshpur market, said farmers from all the six upazilas in Jhenidah and adjoining areas of Jashore bring their produces at the wholesale market for sale.
Another trader Dablu Hossain said he purchase about a hundred maunds of dragon fruits every day and send those to different districts across the country.
