Cultivation of betel leaf (Paan), an inseparable component of Bengali tradition, has changed the lives of around three hundred farmers in Sadar upazila of Naogaon district.
Jalam, Magura and Jageshwar villages under Kittipur union of the upazila has been recognised here as the 'Betel Leaf Villages.'
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said over 15 hectares of land have been brought under betel leaf cultivation in the three villages this year, surpassing the previous year's cultivation of 10 hectares.
Different varieties of betel leaf including Bangla, Mitha, Sachi, Karpuri, Ujani and Maghi are being cultivated here, the sources added.
Local farmers said, "Many people of the area got involved in betel leaf cultivation in last 5 years witnessing the success of others and almost all of them have become solvent."
"More than seven hundred betel leaf gardens have been set up in the three villages till July this year," they added.
One Bidhan Chandra of Jalam village said, "I have been farming betel leaf for the last ten years. The cultivation is expensive as the cultivated land is kept covered with bamboo and straw round the year."
"This year, I am cultivating betel on five bighas of land and expecting to make a profit of around Tk 0.45 million," he added.
Farmer Sunil Chandra Pramanik of Jageshwar village said, "Usually we pick the leaves twice a week and sell them to the wholesalers straight from the farmland."
"Excluding the production cost, one can get profit of up to Tk 0.1 million from cultivating betel leaf per bigha of land," he added.
Sadar upazila agriculture officer Dr Md Anowarul Islam said, "Betel leaf can be cultivated any time of the year. No pest attack is noticed during the cultivation period except stem rot disease in the rainy season which is easily curable by using proper insecticide."
"We are working on expanding the betel leaf cultivation in other areas of the district periodically," he added.
