Severe drought has created a huge obstacle for litchi farmers in Jhenaidah as the immature litchis are getting cracked this season. The farmers have been spraying water on the trees and storing water around the plants to save the bearings. But the fruits are getting cracked and fading in immature stage in advance.
The farmers will have no alternative to harvest the fruits in advance, locals said. Severe drought was mainly liable for the situation, said the officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah.
After visiting Kotchandpur and Jhenaidah Sadar upazila, it was seen that the immature litchis started cracking and falling off the trees one after another. Some of them started showing the colour of maturity in advance.
Housewife Sufia Kabir, engaged in water her home premises lichi plant at village Kabirpur in Shailkupa municipality area in Jhenaidah, said her litchi plant offered huge bearings this season. She was expecting optimum production of the same in this year, but the dropping of the immature fruits had frustrated her. Finding no other alternative, she was compelled to spray water two times a day to save the litchis from the slap of the excessive heat
Farmer Mamud Ali of Kotchandpur upazila town expressing the same with frustration said that farmers will incur heavy losses in the season as the unripe litchis are getting cracked. He said the farmers of the upazila all along produce maximum quantity of litchi in Jhenaidah every year.
But their hope and aspiration were shattered when the severe drought has been rotting the litchis and getting them red in colour in early stage. It will lead the farmers in financial trouble due to least yield, Mamud Ali said.
Local DAE office sources said the farmers in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu had produced 4,493 tonnes of litchi on a total of 391 hectors of land in the last season. Upazila wise break up of litchi farming was 85 hectares in Jhenaidah Sadar, 100 hectares in Kaliganj, 29 hectares in Kotchandpur, 130 hectares in bordering Moheshpur, 40 hectares in Shailkupa and remaining seven hectares in Harinakundu. The were expecting about 12 tonnes of the juicy fruits in the season.
Average production on each hectare was 11.5 tones. The area of litchi farming was expanded on additional 30 hectares in the upazila in the current season, DAE sources said.
DAE Deputy Director (DD) in Jhenaidah Khamarbari Asgar Ali when contacted said the farmers had expanded the area of operation due to better yield and benefit from the same this season. They had advised the farmers or li0chi orchard owners to stock adequate water around the trees until and unless rain water was availabalbe. Further, they will have to spray bactericidal to control bacteria. They also advised the farmers use boron to ensure optimum production even in the drought like climate, DAE DD said.
According to the DAE official, farming of litchi is highly profitable and has a great demand in the locality as the fruit vendors bring the fruits from Chapainawabganj, Iswardi in Pabna and Meherpur every year to meet the local demand.
If adequate litchi is produced in the district, it will meet the local demand and strengthen socio economy of the farmers. It will also reduce the import of seasonal fruits against foreign currency.
Expressing only four milimetre rain fall in February, 14 in March and seven till April 24 (Monday) the DAE man said as there was no adequate rainfall for last couple of months, the fruits getting cracked and falling on the grounds continuously.
The farmers should apply adequate water around the plants at a regular basis and spray water on the trees every day to ensure greenery, the DAE official said.