Sakhawat Hossain Bablu, an employee of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, has become self-reliant by cultivating malta on 40 bighas of land in Chuadanga.
He made a big malta orchard along Moragang beel (water body) at Hogoldanga village under Damurhuda upazila in the district.
Seeing the success of Bablu, many young people of the village have now become interested in Malta farming. Besides, farmers are also inclined to cultivate Malta. New entrepreneurs are also taking various suggestions from Bablu about Malta cultivation.
This year, about 1,250 metric tons of fruits are expected to be collected from over 100 malta orchards on 135 hectares of land in Chuadanga.
Bablu, son of Abdur Rahman of Bhagirathpur village in the upazila, claimed that his malta orchard is the biggest in the country. The juicy and nutritious fruit of his malta orchard is being supplied to Dhaka after meeting the demand in Chuadanga and other nearby districts.
While talking to this correspondent, he said he first bought 20 saplings of Bari-1 variety of Malta for Tk 2,000 from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Khulna in 2013 and planted them on 14 kathas of land.
Bablu, an employee of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, once visited the Agricultural Research Institute while working at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine in Khulna. The malta garden at the institute fascinated him during his visit, he said.
In 2015, the malta trees planted by him first bore fruits and nearby people thronged the orchard to see the fruit, he said.
Later, he started expanding his malta farming by taking lease of 20 bighas of land from other people and made the orchard on 40 bighas of land in phases.
He said that about three years ago, he experimentally planted Bao-3 variety of malta on two bighas of land. “I have collected saplings of this variety from Mymensingh. Flowers begin to bloom 9 months after planting. Within a few days of flowering, malta became a fruit. I have got success in the first year of cultivating this variety of malta,” he said.
“With the success of Bao-3 variety cultivation of malta, we have now taken a plan to start commercial cultivation. For this, we have taken various plans, including production of saplings and preparation of land.”
Bablu said that the cost of cultivating this variety of malta is comparatively low. Care, fertilisers and pesticides are to be used in small quantities. Fruits can be collected 3-4 times in a year. Fruits ranging from 15 kgs to 18 kgs can be collected from each tree.
Sakhawat Hossain Bablu has been interested in planting trees since childhood. Whenever he found a new fruit or medicinal plant, he would collect its seedlings and plant them on abandoned land or on both sides of the road. The fascination of planting trees did not leave him behind.
Around 50-60 labourers are working in the orchard every day. Malta will be sold from 40 bighas of land this season for around one crore. Seeing his success, many in the district are becoming increasingly interested in malta farming, he said.
Bibhas Chandra Saha, deputy director of Chuadanga Agriculture Extension Department, said malta has been cultivated on 40 bighas of land in Damurhuda upazila.
He further said Chuadanga is a flood free area. The soil in this region is suitable for malta cultivation.
