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Farmers losing interest in jujube farming


Published : 10 Apr 2021 08:45 PM

The farmers of Rajshahi are clearing down their Jujube (Plum or Kul) orchards because of a huge loss in the cultivation of the fruit during the last couples of years.

 According to the jujube farm owners, the first two years brought enough yield of jujube fruit but now the yield is not quite as good. As a result, they were clearing out their fields to cultivate other profitable crops. 

 It is known, the mass cultivation of Jujube in Rajshahi started some 10- year ago. In the first year, the yield of jujube was very good and the farmers got really excited about its prospect.

 Then, many farmers started to cultivate jujube in their fields instead of other crops. Among the varieties of jujube cultivated are: Apple, Narikeli, Khocchor, BAU, Thai and Dhaka-90 plums. 

Among these Apple plum is the most famous because of its taste, size and flavour. Besides, BAU plums and Narikeli are also famous among the buyers. The indigenous Khocchor species of plum is extremely popular among the people of all ages and grows without or a little care elsewhere.

 Bacchu, a jujube cultivator of Maskatadighi village under Kantakhali Municipality of the district informed, he had cultivated BAU, Apple and Khocchor varieties of jujube on five bighas(1.5 acres) of land. The yield of fruits of BAU and Apple varities was extremely encouraging during the first two years. But, after that, the yield started to fall.

He further informed, like him, many oher jujube farmers are incurring a huge loss due to fall in yield. He said,  he had consulted with the Horticulturists and was working according to their direction but there was no result.

However, Bacchu informed, the indigenous variety of Khocchor and Narikeli Plums were giving good yield without fall in production rather the production was increasing year after year. 

Scientific Officer of Regional Horticulture Centre in Rajshahi informed, cultivation of Apple Plum and other new varieties of plums including the BAU plum and Thai plum have been newly introduced in Rajshahi region. 

Cultivation of these varieties of plums requires special care and applying of fertilisers and tip prunning systematically. He however, said the same varieties of plums were giving good yield at the Horticulture centre and some Jujube farms because they were taking care of the trees properly.Meanwhile, many jujube cultivators also blamed an adverse weather condition during the blooming and flowering of jujube. They said, due to abnormal fluctuation of temperature during the flowering of Jujube, there was an impact of yield of the fruit.